Crossings
by Icecane
Summary: After a chance encounter, Leo and Aeris make friends with a fellow gamer. Though seemingly a kind person, suspicions begin to arise as they question what secrets he may be hiding.
1. Same Path Different Steps

**A/N: Greetings avid VG cats fanfictioneers. I am glad I can finally get my first fic for this underway. Couldn't tell ya how long this fic has been pieced together before now, though due to other fanfics and lack of time to work on said fanfics, it has been put off for some time.  
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**So yeah, my fic may not be the most original (cough cough nudge nudge) but I'm sure it will be an enjoying read to everyone. Hell, I may even make a few certain someones laugh at a badly placed joke.**

**I would also like to give credit towards SwedenSpeedway's very own fic, The new guy. Reading this fantastic piece of work gave me the inspirational jump start that got this fic started in the first place. But that doesn't mean this will be some amnesia fueled scheme of highschool depressions added with a pinch of sudden realizations to a long forgotten friendship of amazingness. (cough once more)**

**So my long ass ramblings aside, here is chapter one...**

_**Crossings**_

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><p><strong>Chapter 1: Same Path, Different Steps<strong>

Twilight. The Canadian skies were filled with it. It wasn't late, but it was far from early. Though it wasn't the only thing in the skies.

Water filled the sky as well, it also fell from it. Each drop echoed onto the silent, empty streets, few people went out in the rain. One of the many mysteries of life. It was obvious for some, felines naturally hated it. For other species and humans, it was just a personal matter.

Only a single person contrasted the vacancy of the streets, what looked like a fox in an old trench coat marched down the sidewalk. The flapping of his coat in the wind and the splash of his footsteps being the only sound he made. He didn't mind the rain that much. Well, about half of him didn't mind it. The other half was somewhat uneasy, but that other half also marked him for what he was. Called a freak by some, pitied by others.

Still the fox trudged onward, slightly hating himself for being in the rain. He didn't need to be, having just left for his destination too early, thinking it would be for the better, obviously being wrong.

From his pocket he pulled out a wrapper, he emptied it and placed its contents in his mouth. After chewing it for a few moments, a pink bubble expanded from his muzzle, a small pop and chuckle followed. Something he used when irritation or uneasiness settled in, among other things. Smokers had their tar and he had his gum. Not caring to find a trash can in the rain, he simply allowed the wrapper to slip from his hand, feigning his innocence to the non-existent witnesses.

Soon he made it to his destination, a large convention center where one of his favorite pastimes were being held and he was going to be apart of it. The rain started to let up as he entered the center's lobby, it would only last a few more minutes.

"Figures," he muttered to himself, while drying off. He entered the main room, a blast of music and techno sounds filled his hearing as the night's event was being prepared for.

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><p>"Ugh," Aeris moaned, "why did it have to rain." She was walking alongside her friend Leo. Both heading down the street to an important engagement, something they had spent a long time planning for. They had lucked out, their set time to leave their apartment was about the time the rain had stopped falling, not bringing more stress on the pink cat. Though it created its own problem, the smell of a post rain shower forced her to scrunch her nose in disgust, one of the few things she hated more then Leo's idiocy.<p>

"Oh, don't get all angry," Leo replied. The gray cat playfully jumped around into the many puddles that dotted the pavement. One puddle in particular was much larger then the others, the resulting splash sent a wave to fold over Aeris and drench her.

"Damn it Leo!" she shouted, grabbing her friend by the shirt collar and pushing him against the nearest wall. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" The gray cat gave an nervous smile.

"Heh-heh, I was uh... just... sorry?" Aeris exhaled a sigh and dropped the cat. Twisting her jacket, she tried to wring out some of the water that soaked her. Though she would rather be doing it to Leo's neck, she needed him for what they were doing.

They continued their walk, Aeris grumbled angrily to herself while Leo avoided the puddles like land mines, not trying to spark Aeris' rage again.

"Oh look!" Leo suddenly shouted, pouncing on the ground. He picked up a scrap of paper that was laying in a puddle. When Aeris examined it, she could see it was a large gum wrapper. "Maybe some poor sucker's left some gum in here before they threw it out." The gray cat tore the paper into pieces, finding no trace of any lingering gum. "Aw," he moaned, his ears dropping in disappointment.

"Really?" Aeris asked, crossing her arms. "Scavenging trash for gum Leo? You just love to lower my opinion of you."

"It can go lower?" Leo asked, astonished. Aeris was about to reply but stopped herself, finding that she didn't know how to. It was possible, the rare occasions when Leo's intellect actually turned normal for a few moments. Usually being spent on a single sentence. After that, whatever conversation or argument that was going on would stop, Aeris being too surprised to continue.

So the topic was dropped, as well as the remaining wrapper trash. Still walking, they spent the time in utter silence. But even with the lack of words between the two, both were still sidetracking themselves as they examined their surroundings. And just as their minds began wandering too far, Leo cried out in surprise as he tripped over something and made an excruciating face plant into the sidewalk.

"Ow, that hurt!," Leo yelled, rubbing his aching face while he staggered upward.

"Looks like you tripped over... something," Aeris murmured as she examined the ground. What just looked like a black mass from the lack of light on the streets, Aeris gave it a light tap. Immediately, she pulled back and almost fell over as she gasped in shock.

It was a person, though their species was unidentifiable in the current position they were in, it became clear that there was indeed someone lying on the sidewalk.

"He must have slipped in the rain and knocked himself out," Aeris thought aloud.

"Hmm," Leo muttered, still rubbing his face. "Should we help him?" There was a long pause from Aeris as she looked down at the person's unmoving form.

"Nah," she said with an uncaring tone, right before stepping over the helpless body and walking away.

Leo looked toward his friend as she left and began going after her. But after a second thought, he stopped and returned to the fallen figure. Before another moment passed, the gray cat lifted his leg and gave a hard kick into the unconscious person's ribs.

Satisfied, Leo ran back to Aeris' side as they both laughed over an inside joke they shared.

They didn't go much farther until they stopped at their destination, the large convention center looming over them with its awe inspiring presence.

"So you ready Leo?" Aeris asked with determination in her voice, her gaze fixated above at the center, as if to challenge God.

"A little nervous," Leo mumbled, his own gaze finding the dirty sidewalk more appealing.

"What? We've been ready for this for days. Besides, this isn't the first tournament we've been to."

"But that doesn't take away the pit in my stomach... We are going against pros." Aeris worried that her friend would screw everything up with his lack of excitement.

"Yes that is true, but _they_ have to go against _us. _Pros ourselves, or at least I am. We are going to wipe the floor with these ammeters."

"Right!" Leo seemingly pulling a new found determination out of thin air.

"So are we ready!"

"Yes!"

"All right then!"

"Let's do this!" Leo then charged into the building, leaving Aeris behind. She heard him shout something else along with it, but the sudden blast of music drowned it out. With one deep breath, she made herself ready for the event that was about to transpire and followed her friend inside.

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><p><strong>AN: Okay then, that's the first chapter. As with any intro chapter, this is introducing...things... I even got in an minor obligatory Leeroy reference at the end there. I can cross that off the list. Why is it obligatory? Because... I don't know...**

**Anyway, I would once again like to give props to SweedenSpeedway. If you haven't seen his fic yet, (and seriously if you are looking at VG cats fanfics in the first place, his story is mandatory) then give it a read. And may he soon defeat the evil wizard Balrofic, save the fifth pony dimension, and make a safe return from his heroic journey to finish his work here. (I cough a third time!)**

**As for closing remarks. If you've enjoyed this first chapter, or any chapters afterward, then leave a review to show what you've thought of it. Encouraging words are always appreciated.**


	2. Boom

**Chapter 2: Boom...**

The convention center was alive with gamers and geeks alike, all enjoying the festivities to the fullest.

Despite it being a tournament, the entire thing resembled a regular gaming convention quite well. Except for the lack of overweight nerds escaping the harsh reality of their lives by playing dress up, much to Aeris' pleasure.

Booths were set up all around, with crowds surrounding them all. Some held glimpses to upcoming games that had already been announced, others sold merchandise from retro games to everyday items with fan favorite mascots plastered on them.

"Whoring out at its finest," Aeris muttered as she spotted a shampoo bottle with Mario's mustached face grinning at her.

"Hello little lady," the owner of the booth greeted, a rather large cowboy hat sitting on top of his head, "I sell games and game accessories, can I help ya?"

"A 360 controller if you have one." She needed a new one, her last spare had been broken a week ago. Being 'accidentally' smashed against a wall after a series of merciless deaths at the hands of the new Dark Souls game.

After paying for her controller, she tucked it away in her jacket and went off in search of Leo.

Aeris didn't have to go far however. Remembering that it was Leo, she just had to find the most moronic, degenerative, and mind-numbing excuse for a game they had.

"Smasher Man Extreme," Leo said, staring blankly at the banner hanging above him, awestruck. The title covered most of the banner with a small slogan just below it. 'After you've smashed everything, go and smash it some more!' Screens were set up to show some of it's game play. Controls looked as simple as any kind of beat-em-up, with an overly muscular male with a personality as thick as dirty water. Aeris was sure staring at it for too long would cause her brain damage.

She pulled Leo away before he would start drooling on himself, trying to find where they needed to go for the tournament.

They eventually found the registration area. Giving their names, they were congratulated for making it into the tournament, both of them having won smaller contests to gain their entry. After they were processed, they were given a badge to wear around their neck to show their player names and then pointed to a set of doors that would lead them to a place they could rest before everything started.

It wasn't such a bad place. Essentially just a large room, it was filled with different computers for the other contestants to practice on before the tournament began. Even a large table was set up to the side with small foods and beverages for them to enjoy.

The other contestants were all either conversing with one another or watching each other use one of the computers. Aeris lost track of Leo as soon as they entered, but she didn't mind, a few moments away from him would help steel her nerves enough to concentrate.

With the computers taken, Aeris just wandered about the room. Meeting the fellow gamers she would have to go up against in the tournament. From what she could see, it would be a stiff competition.

It didn't take long for boredom to settle in however. Aeris was brought to the point of actually wanting to find Leo, at least talking with him would allow them to discuss their strategy for the tournament. But she couldn't find him, not with any of the groups watching the computers, or talking with the other competitors, she was beginning to think he had run off or gotten into trouble.

Just as she was about to expect the worst, she caught a glimpse of a gray feline off at the very end of the room. Being struck by curiosity, Aeris decided to see what was so important.

"Hi," a voice greeted from behind. Aeris turned to see who it was, jumping back in surprise as she saw a young cat wearing a pair of glasses with the biggest lenses she had ever seen. "You here for the tournament?" He sounded overly excited.

"Uh... yeah, that's why I'm back here," Aeris responded, trying her best not to roll her eyes as the answer seemed obvious.

"Oh sorry," he was quick to apologize, "I just didn't know, considering your a girl and..." the cat paused for a moment as Aeris' eyes started to twist into a fierce glare, "uh... never mind." Wise decision.

"Yeah... well I was just looking for my friend so..." Her eyes turned back to where she noticed Leo. He was still there, she then figured out what he was doing. It seemed that he was talking with someone, or talking _to_ someone. As Leo seemed to do all the talking, while the fox in his path was forced to only listen. "I wonder who that is," Aeris said, mostly to herself.

"The fox?" the four-eyed cat broke in. "That's Iron Cross." Aeris just gave the cat a questioning look, never hearing the name before. "Huh, surprised you've never heard of him. He's actually one of the favored for winning this tournament. Though this is his first time taking part in a competition, his name is known well enough in the PSN lobbies."

"Ah, so that's why." Aeris knew many of the better players in the Xbox community, even being considered one of them in terms of skill, but she knew little of the PSN and their ilk. She looked back to the cat when she noticed his hand outstretched to her.

"I'm TrekMan06 by the way," he said, showing his badge. TrekMan's gaze shifted down to Aeris' own and he smiled. "Pink_Furry, an odd name if I ever saw one." He gave a nasally laugh at it, ending with an involuntary snort.

"It's fury," Aeris said through gritted teeth, holding her badge closer to the cat's face to see it better.

"Oh heh, my mistake." His voice was starting to become nervous as a light shade of red appeared beneath his cheek fur. "Hey, uh... Pink... you uh... you wana cyber?" TrekMan held up a laptop he kept in his bag and looked at her expectantly. Aeris' eyes widened at the question and she slowly backed away.

"Uh... yeah... uh _no_ no no. I have to go... find my friend... that's right... find him... _really_ fast." The pink cat then spun a full 180 and walked off as fast as her legs would allow.

"Hey wait," TrekMan called after her, "you don't have to go... you ever been to Goldshire?" But she was gone. Depression sank in as TrekMan's ears and tail flopped down lifelessly and he walked away, dragging his feet with each step.

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><p>Aeris made her way toward Leo and the fox. The gray cat was still talking while the fox looked uninterested, it appeared like he was hardly giving the feline any attention at all. With his back leaning against the wall, the fox faced out toward the rest of the room. His eyes didn't appear to fix on any one thing at a time, shifting about the room and gazing at everything in it. They locked onto Aeris as she approached them both, beginning to hear what Leo was saying.<p>

"...and then I said, 'Real easy, like your mom!'" A fit of laughter from Leo followed, forcing the cat to bend over and clutch at his sides. The fox however merely gave a weak chuckle, mostly out sympathy.

But Leo's laughter was short lived as a sharp jab from Aeris' into his ribs put a stop to it.

"Ow, oh uh... hey Aeris..." Leo flinched as he fully noticed her, preparing for a good beating.

"Leo, I'm thirsty, go get me a drink," she demanded, pointing toward the snack table. Without a moment of hesitation, Leo nodded and ran off toward the table, hoping it would prevent a beating latter on. "Sorry about him," Aeris said, turning her attention to the fox, "he's an idiot, but if you hit him enough times he turns tolerable."

"I'll try to remember that," the fox said with a chuckle, through the laugh Aeris caught a glimpse at a set of canine fangs poking out from underneath his lip.

With their distance to one another, Aeris was able to make out the fox's appearance much better then when she first saw him.

Rather then the traditional orange, his fur and hair was a darkened red, resembling the color of a new brick. Like with all foxes, his cheeks and the bottom half of his muzzle was white, with the fur over his cheeks spiked. The white followed down the front of his neck and from what she could assume continued to his chest.

His attire was rather mundane compared to that of the other contestants she had seen, the trench coat he wore being the first thing the eye catches. Its age was somewhat of a mystery, small parts of it being slightly faded, making Aeris think he had it quite for some time. The fox also wore it open, allowing a clear sight at the t-shirt he had on underneath.

The only really strange thing about the fox were his eyes. A bright shade of yellow making up the iris.

"_Odd color for a fox_," Aeris thought. Then again, she _was_ a cat with bright pink fur, so there wasn't much room for her to talk.

"You're wet," the fox said, his eyes looking at her from head to toe, "you were splashed?"

"Huh," Aeris was shocked for the moment, how he could of known was beyond her guess.

"I just noticed your damp clothing. Seems like a lot for a simple rain shower, especially with your... friend only being wet around the pant legs. I'd take the guess that a little puddle antics occurred?"

"Yeah... but how did you..." The fox just chuckled to himself, finding something funny about Aeris' confusion.

"Sorry, I get a little overly observant when I'm bored." Leo then made it back with the drink Aeris asked for, still on edge as he tried avoiding any punishment from pink feline. "Anyway, pleased to meet you both. I'm A... uh, Iron Cross." The fox gave his hand and Leo was quick to shake it.

"TheDukeX," Leo said, giving his own player name. The fox showed a smirk as he looked down at Aeris' badge. It gave another look of his teeth, they seemed rather large for him, the fox hardly able to smirk without them showing themselves, even if it was just the tip.

"The Pink... Furry? Strange name, I take it your into humans then?" Aeris' face twisted into a look of anger as the irritation of being misread was getting to her.

"It's Fury. F-U-R-Y!" she stressed, her cheeks gaining a red flare from her anger.

"Oh, heh sorry," he apologized, raising his hands up defensivly. "Weird how those two words hold nothing alike, yet they can be so easily misconstrued." Just then, someone entered the room and announced that the tournament would be starting, everyone stopped what they were doing and all headed for the exit. "Well that's our cue, good luck, you may need it." The fox walked off toward the door, leaving the two cats alone.

"Well Leo, lets show these guys who the real gamers are."

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><p>Each participant in the tournament was led a small closed off cube sitting near the main stage. Resembling a closed off cubicle, it was made completely sound proof to discard distractions from the loud sounds of the viewers outside. Each cube was outfitted with a monitor and the equipment they would use to play the game. A controller for both PS3 and 360 players were set up for personal preference, even a keyboard and mouse sat nearby to allow PC gamers to use what they like.<p>

Atop the large stage overlooking the crowds of spectators, a man held up a microphone to address them.

"Greetings ladies and gentlemen," the announcer called out. "It is time for the tournament to get underway. Here we will have some of Canada's finest gamers ready to battle one another in the new FPS sensation, Wasteland." A large banner was dropped down, showing the game's title. "So, without further delay, let the tournament begin!"

The monitor in Aeris' cube powered on, allowing her to select a character color. Obviously she went with pink.

Wasteland appeared like a decent enough game to her. It was reminiscent to Fallout in terms of looks, taking place in a post-apocalyptic world, using a combination of futuristic weapons and ones that were more makeshift. The graphics were superb as well, even a noteworthy blood indicator that allowed a splash of red on the screen depending on how badly you kill someone and how close they are to you.

The left side of her screen showed the names and colors of the players as they set themselves up, as well as their current life counter. Each contestant being given a total of 6. Aeris noticed Leo's game tag appear with the others, his color being blue of course. She noted it as she would have to watch out for the blue player running around, most likely running his head into walls, but she had to be optimistic. Their plan being to work together to take down the competition more effectively, then with only themselves remaining, fight each other for first place.

But the tournament was much more hectic then she first realized. With only a 6 life counter, she assumed it would go over quickly, but the skills the other players showed surprised her. Even as she was sure to have pinned down someone, only needing a few more shots to take them out, through a clever trick or distraction they managed to escape her.

The corner of her eye was locked onto the counter, watching as the lesser skilled players were taken out, then the lives start to slowly dwindle on the others.

Aeris' kept her reflexes going as she used an old favorite tactic of hers. Waiting in cover in spots that are easily missed by passing eyes, just as a player would get close enough, she would unleash a barrage of gunfire. Just as they were caught off guard, it was all too easy for her to slip in close enough for a finishing melee attack.

The spectators outside got all the action they needed. With a gigantic screen sitting atop the stage that switched between the views of the different players as they preformed impressive maneuvers. Many smaller monitors were set up around the cubes as well, giving shots of specific players to allow everyone to see what's going on.

They were soon on the final stretch of the tournament. Only a few players remained, each with only one or two lives left.

Aeris finished off two others, an unlucky two who were too busy going against each other to notice the grenade she placed between them. She watched with satisfaction as their names were struck off the list. There the cat noticed who was left. Besides herself and Leo, only three others were still running about in the world. One of the names popped out at her as she saw it, IronCross. A devilish smirk crossed her as he pictured herself being the one to put and end to him.

She searched through the now seemingly empty game, hunting down her prey like a cat would a mouse. Then the sound of a gunshot broke through the silence of the world. It was close, too close for Aeris' comfort. Crouching in a small rock clearing, she looked about in an attempt to find the source of the gunfire.

A glimpse of movement gave away their location. Up atop a small tower, she noticed a player clad in red armor. Aeris' immediately recognized it as IronCross, his outfit matching the red in his name.

Perched on the tower, he was ducked near some boxes with a sniper rifle in his hands. She watched as he fired it twice, one after the other. To her surprise she saw the names of the other two competitors disappear from the list. The more she thought about it, the more it made sense, seeing how observational he was, it seemed obvious he would play a sniper role. Patiently watching from the shadows as they made sure anything moving would soon stop.

Aeris kept her eyes on him as he scanned the area in front of him, looking for the remaining players, Leo and herself. But he hadn't noticed her yet, thinking he had all possible angles of attack in his field of vision, he couldn't see her just out of his gaze.

Being as careful as possible, Aeris search the area around her, needing weapon with longer range. She had lucked out, finding a scoped rifle hiding away close to the rocks she was at. Not quite as powerful as the sniper, but it would work for a descent head shot.

Positioned correctly, she aimed directly into her opponent's head. Aeris' heart started to beat harder and harder as he realized that she was going to win the tournament. With just her and Leo left, she could easily take care of him for an easy victory. With the pounding in her chest the only thing she could hear, her hand began to shake as she pressed the trigger button, releasing the powerful sound of gunfire.

Aeris felt the thrill of victory surge through her as she fired. But her eyes cracked wide open as she witness what happened next. A player dressed in blue, Leo, ran right by at that exact moment. Just as she pressed the shoot command, his player's head came right past her crossairs. The gunshot sounded and the bullet was sent into Leo's head instead. With the proximity of them both, Aeris' screen was soaked in blood from Leo's head exploding into bits, disorientating her and ruining her position. Her intentional target noticed her then, turning to face her, taking only a moment to align the shot and fire. Then, it was all over.

The crowd erupted into a roar of cheering as the tournament ended. Aeris was too dumbstruck to do anything. The pink cat only stared at her screen, not moving a muscle except for her continuously descending jaw and a twitch in her eyes.

Then the people surrounding her cube were filled with a spine freezing terror as they heard muffled screams coming from the supposedly sound proof cube of the pink cat gamer. It took only a moment for the crowd to create a wide gap between them and it.

"Now wasn't that a spectacular performance," the announcer shouted out to the crowd. Aeris had been led up to the stage, alongside the fox she met earlier and the other contestants. "Congratulations to the winner, IronCross, truly a gamer not to be trifled with!" The announcer handed him his prize, a trophy along with a modest cash prize.

Aeris kept her boiling rage buried deep inside, trying her best not to make a scene as it felt like she could snap at any moment. Her gaze locked onto Leo, the gray cat nervously giving her glances as he realized the torture he would be in for once they get home.

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><p><strong>AN: Headshot... So chapter 2 is done. A good length of chapter in my opinion, though I think I may have overdid it in some areas.**

**But oh god, probably shouldn't have made that Goldshire crack...(shudder violently) Though I could honestly see that being a pick-up line for nerds. They'd be off in their local comic shop, see a fine lady there and move his way up, "Hey baby, ever been to Goldshire?" … I dunno maybe it isn't as well known of a joke as it used to be. Then again you'd have to be a WoW player to know it anyway.**

**Anyone ever been there before? I have... Scarred me for life. Friend of mine took me there as a joke... just... ugh... Such a horrible place of sin, where even the most purest of souls will leave corrupted... and sticky...**

**Anyway, I kind of liked the idea I made up for this chapter. I actually based the ending off of a few personal experiences I've had with playing the sniper role. Mostly from playing Resistance 2 multiplayer (30v30 for the win!) Usually some idiot sniper trying to take my spot and forcing me to shoot him in the ass... by accident of course...**


	3. Crossing Paths

**Chapter 3: Crossing Paths**

"Take that you little bitches!," Aeris shouted as she took down another pair of targets. She had been at it for quite some time, playing Halo matches to releave her boiled aggressions from the tournament that she had lost due to Leo's incompetence. It was a Saturday so the matches were over saturated with children who fancied themselves hardcore.

Each scream of frustration and anger from their torment at the hands of the pink cat, as she dominated each and everyone of them, was enough to bring joy to her darkened attitude.

But even that was becoming dry as Aeris found herself being burned out on all the games she had. Unable to try and re-start a game she has beaten dozens of times before, nothing was appealing to her. Though she wasn't oblivious as to the reason, she knew full well that the marked date on her calender loomed over her shoulders.

With each passing hour it was that much closer, now only about a week and her most anticipated game yet would be released, and she was determined to be there to buy her copy. That, however, turned her off any of her old games. Not even any of her favorites could strike her interest for the time, but something had to be done about the ever present boredom that ran through the apartment.

"Aeris... please... can I come out?" It was Leo, calling out from where the pink cat had left him. Locked up in his 'timeout box', he deserved far worse for his faults during the tournament, but beating him had become tiresome after the first day.

Showing a hint of mercy, Aeris figured it was indeed time to be lenient on him.

"All right, all right," she grumbled as she turned off her 360 and went into their storeroom, essentially a spare bedroom they used for storage.

"Oh thank god." Leo was happy to find forgiveness. The joy was shortly cut off as Aeris grabbed him by the shirt and looked in right in the eyes.

"Watch yourself Leo," she sneered, "I'm still pissed with you, so don't you dare test me." Leo nodded nervously before Aeris released him. "Good. Now get your things, we are going out to GameShop. Need something new to cure me of this boredom."

"Yeah," Leo agreed, "I need something new too."

"Then hurry, they'll be closing soon. If we move fast though we should make it."

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><p>"Faster Leo!," Aeris yelled. Both herself and Leo running as quickly as they could down the street. She continuously gazed down at her watch as they raced against time to get to Gameshop before it closed for the night. But the minutes were ticking away and they still had a good distance to travel.<p>

"I'm going as fast as I can," Leo called back, lagging behind his pink friend as she moved faster then he did.

The cold night air was stinging their lungs with each heavy breath they took. Pinches of pain kept surging into their exhausted feet and legs as they pushed themselves further and further in speed.

"Almost there," Aeris said, still staring down at her watch. Leo shut his eyes and swung his legs back and forth as hard as he could to help ignore the weakening muscles.

Gameshop was coming in closer and closer. But Aeris was too busy looking down at her wrist to notice the man coming out of the building and blocking their path.

The loud crash tore into the night's silent state as the two cats furiously crashed into the unaware target. Their collision threw Leo into the air and the gray cat landed between the curb and the street.

"Are we there yet..." he groaned in pain, completely disoriented.

Aeris gave a smiler groan as she recuperated from the wreck. As her senses readjusted to being thrown out of whack, she noticed something strange. Rather then feeling the cold pavement underneath her, she felt something much softer and warm. Aeris opened her eyes to find herself staring into a pair of yellow ones.

"Why hello there," the red fox said, showing a toothy grin. Aeris, just now realizing she was on top of him, gasped as she pushed off of him to get back to her feet.

"You... you're that fox from the tournament. What the hell are you doing here?" The red fox didn't answer immediately. Aeris' push on him was poorly placed, her force being sent straight into his lungs, pushing the air out of him like a balloon. After a series of horrid coughs, he had enough air to answer.

"I... work here," he said, beginning to have another coughing fit. "Anyone ever tell you to watch where you're going?"

"Us?" Aeris said in disbelief. "You're the one who appeared out of nowhere."

"I was stationary," the fox blurted out, still clutching his chest in pain, "just locking up the shop for the night. Then BAM, out of nowhere I'm knocked to the ground with a cat on top of me." Leo had picked himself off the ground, still appearing to be woozy but otherwise unharmed.

"Yeah Aeris," Leo agreed in his dazed state, "I think we may be at fault here."

"Like you know anything," Aeris grumbled. "Fine... sorry... I guess." Though the apology lacked all it needed to be genuine, like sincerity. She looked up at the place they had collided. It was their favorite gaming store, GameShop, where they had bought many of the games that were now apart of their collection. "So I guess we are too late, you're closed."

"Well," the fox muttered, "seems like you really wanted in if you were ready to run someone over to do it. What the hell, come on in, I'm sure staying open a little longer won't hurt anyone." With a quick search of the ground, the fox picked up a set of keys and unlocked the front door.

The walls were lined with shelves and racks that held a large assortment of games. Both new and pre-owned filled the inventory of the store, for consoles as old as the N64 to the current generation of gaming. It was like heaven to two gamers like Leo and Aeris, the feeling was only amplified as they witnessed the store coming to life at the touch of the red fox they were following.

"Simply amazing," Aeris whispered as her eyes scanned the shelves. Besides the stock being proudly presented in the large store, a station was set up in appropriate places that held one of the three newest consoles for customers to play demos of the newest releases. Her excitement was dampened for a moment as she saw the 360 station and the 'out of order' sign that was plastered on it. "Damn thing is always there." The pink cat could even see dust beginning to collect on the sign.

"As usual," Leo said in a hushed tone as he passed the sign by, heading toward the Nintendo games and letting out a chuckle. He would always hold Nintendo closer to his heart then Microsoft any day. And no matter how many times Aeris tried to convince him otherwise, the gray feline wasn't above poking fun at the faults the rival system had.

The fox had stepped behind the counter to turn on the computerized register, now leaning on the table to watch the two cats as they moved from game to game.

Aeris was quick to find a few suitable games that were sure to keep her occupied enough. Of course, Leo being the indecisive one he is, was still browsing the games with a snail's pace.

With games in hand, Aeris approached the counter where the fox waited patiently.

"Here," she said as she placed them on the counter.

"Xbox fan girl huh," the fox commented, his eyes going over her selection.

"Something wrong with that?" Aeris was quick to become defensive over the subject.

"Oh no no, I have nothing against the naivety of customers and their poor choices in game preference."

"What?" Aeris fur was bristling at this point, not taking long for her to realize she was being insulted.

"Well it is quite obvious which of the two are dominate. With it's wider verity in games, superior online communities, and all around better reputation."

"Oh yeah," Aeris said in a sarcastic tone, "if you like the system that can't even protect itself from hackers."

"Which was quickly dealt with," the fox pointed out, being the one on the defensive now, "not to mention their reimbursements to the player base." Aeris was quick on the offensive.

"Pfft, a few crappy games and a short subscription to their pointless little club."

"Much more then can be said with Microsoft." The fox then used his thumb and pinky finger to form a phone and held it to his ear. "Ring Ring... Ring Ring... Yes hello?... Microsoft?... Yes, my 360 has crashed for the umpteenth time due to your shoty performance in console crafting, and I would like to know how this can be remedied... Okay... Yeah... So I should start by bending over..." The fox did just that, bending down over the counter as he continued his delusional conversation. "Yes... I am now bent over as you instructed ass high and all, now what... To go and fuck myself?... Okay, I will do so shortly. Thank you, you are as helpful as always." The fox then 'hung up' his phone hand and gazed at the pink cat standing before him, who had her arms crossed while her eyes started forming a glare.

"You finished?" she asked, her tone showing her great annoyance. The fox gave her a goofy smile.

"Well I could have dragged it on for a bit longer, but I think I got my point across."

"Can't the Wii be the best console?" Leo asked, still gazing at the games but able to overhear their conversation.

"No," Aeris and the fox both said, demeaning the poor gray cat as he felt little love for his favorite company.

"Besides," Aeris continued, not letting the argument be lost by her, "even with their larger library of exclusives, the Sony games couldn't hold a candle to the franchises the Xbox has made."

"Ouch... right for the heart," he said, clutching his chest in another performance as he acted like he had just been stabbed. After a moment the fox burst into laughter. "Oh dear, I'm sorry. I'm just pulling your tail, it gets kind of dull around here when you aren't allowed much interaction with the customers and all they do is complain about everything."

"Speaking of which," Aeris began, realizing something that wasn't right, "how do you work here? We come in here all the time yet we have never seen you."

"Oh that's easy. I used to only work in the back," he indicated the door behind him, "worked with storage and unloading the trucks. Only just recently was I moved up to the front counter."

"Well I suppose it's good you were working today, or else we wouldn't have made it."

"Nah it's no problem on my part... it's Aeris right?" She nodded and the fox nodded off to Leo. "And... Leo?"

"That's right."

"Ah good, I don't think we were properly introduced back at the tournament." He held out his hand and Aeris shook it. "The name's Alex Kage, I'd say I've lived here for a little over a year and a half now, surprised we've never met before considering our common interest."

"Huh, where did you live before?" Finally having a name for the red fox, she was becoming intrigued.

"America," he said, though his tone was rather strange to her, saying it as though he was ashamed of the fact, "born and raised. Left to gain a change in scenery and put some things behind me." Aeris was about to question further when Leo appeared and dropped his assortment of games on the counter.

"Here ya go," he said in a cheery attitude. The fox noticed something odd about the gray cat, leaning in closer to make sure he was seeing it right.

"What happened to your face?" The fox had noticed a bruise on Leo's forehead, as well as a healing cut on his lip and cheek. They were too old to have been done by their collision earlier.

"Oh," Leo said, sounding startled by the question, his eyes slowly moved towards Aeris' direction as he gained an uneasy look about him, "I... uh... fell down some stairs... and into a door... that was at the bottom of those stairs..." The fox just gave the gray feline an odd look.

"Right... well... let me just ring this up for you guys." Alex then started to run the games through the scanner and going through the prices, his fluid motions began to slow as he was distracted by the pink cat. Aeris' own gaze was off toward the large cardboard cut-out advertisement sitting in the store.

"Oh... it's so close to its release..." It was Dungeon Guy 4, fully titled as Super Dungeon Guy 4, the next installment to Aeris' favorite series of games. One of the greatest dungeon crawlers ever made, it was something Aeris had been drooling over it for over a year since Imanok first announced its development.

"Big fan?" Alex asked, catching Aeris' interest in the sign.

"Oh yes," she said with excitement in her voice, making the fox laugh at her. "What's so funny?"

"Sorry, I just can't see myself getting so worked up over a game like that. Games that become repetitive after the first level don't appeal to me that well. Plus the fact that it's just a remake of the first, with updated graphics and better controls."

"Yeah," Leo added, joining the conversation, "but it was expected. With the second a sequel and the third a prequel, it seems right to make the fourth a remake. Aeris just wants this one because she hates the Kings of Darkness one they are making right after."

"Of course I hate it," Aeris growled, showing her dissatisfaction with the name, "the entire game is just a ripoff of the Dog of Mar games, completely stealing their game play mechanics to make that atrocity."

"Can you blame them?" Alex asked, adding in his own gaming knowledge. "The Dog of Mar games introduced the perfect combat style the game needed, fans are just too short sighted to realize that... no offense of course." He ended it with an uneasy laugh as he noticed how he was angering the pink cat.

"Maybe," Aeris muttered, "but I still don't care for it, I'd rather have 4. Ugh, and it's just another week, this wait is ridiculous."

"Wait one moment," the fox said, disappearing behind the back door behind the counter. Both cats looked at one another in confusion as a few minutes passed. Then the fox returned with his hands behind his back. "Think of it as a consolation prize for that tournament." He dropped what he held behind himself onto the counter and Aeris' eyes widened in shock.

It was Super Dungeon Guy 4, a 360 copy, just sitting their right in front of her. Aeris' hands trembled as they ran over the surface, feeling the smooth cover and plastic

"H-how did you..." Aeris couldn't even finish the sentence, becoming completely disoriented from the shock alone. Alex merely laughed.

"We always get the new releases a week or so in advance, gives us time to get them into the system and set up for the release date. These aren't even registered yet. One missing from the stock won't be missed though."

"But... but I."

"Just be glad there are benefits to knowing an employee here."

"Well then I don't need these then," Aeris said, pushing the games she had previous selected off to the side. The shock was quickly replaced by raw excitement, the pink cat desperately wanting to get home and play it.

"All right then, I can ring this up as an employee expense and just put in the actual purchase when they are put into the computer." After a moment of typing out on the computer in front of him, Alex then ran Leo's games through and put them in a bag for them. "Here ya go."

"Well I guess I should thank you," Aeris said, looking down at the bag she had.

"No need, I can respect a gamer and their unnatural excitements."

After a moment of shutting everything back off, the three left the store and made their way to their homes. Alex's dwelling happened to be along the way to Aeris and Leo's apartment, so they walked together and discussed upcoming games and their favorite genres.

"Here it is," Alex said, looking up at his abode. It was a small apartment system, Aeris and Leo both looked at it with a slight disgust. It was rather run down, looking filthy just from the outside.

"You live here?" Aeris asked, completely surprised by it, it was more of a place for people who tread dangerously on the line of poverty.

"It's not much, but it's the only place near work that doesn't require a roommate." The fox then began to search through his pockets, after a moment his expression turned to shock as he furiously searched through each pocket multiple times. "Dammit, I must have lost my key!"

"When did you have it last?" Leo asked.

"Um, I'm sure I had it before I closed up at the shop... the first time..." Alex groaned heavily as he realized what happened. "Ugh, I must have lost it when you two ran into me. It's too late to ask the landlady for a new one, suppose I'll have to find a motel for the night."

"How about you stay with us for the night," Leo blurted out before Aeris grabbed him.

"What are you doing," she said in a harsh whisper.

"What?" Leo was clueless to her hostility.

"What have I told you about inviting random people over to our apartment?"

"Not to do it... But he's a nice enough guy and don't forget..." he grabbed Aeris' bag and shoved the Dungeon Guy 4 game into her face. With a sigh, Aeris relented.

"Fine," she said, bringing a smile to Leo's face.

"So you want to stay the night Alex?" The fox looked unsure about it at first.

"I really don't want to be a bother," he said, but Leo wouldn't have it.

"Don't worry, you won't be a problem. And you'll love our couch, everyone says it's the best one they've ever slept on."

"Everyone?"

"Yeah," Leo whispered as he crept closer to the fox, "our couch is a whore."

"Okay... well if it won't be any trouble, I suppose I can crash with you guys for the night." Leo became overjoyed with the answer, bringing a hint of uneasiness to the fox.

So the three continued their walk down the street, Aeris couldn't help but think that something was strange about the fox. It didn't help to notice how little his attire had changed.

"Do you always wear that?" she asked, indicating the trench coat he wore. It was the same one she saw him wearing at the tournament.

"This? Yeah, what's wrong with it?" Alex seemed surprised that it was brought up.

"I don't know, it's weird I guess."

"Well I suppose that's just your problem isn't it," he said with a smirk. Aeris was still thinking that there was more to it then he let on. Ideas began running through her head as to what could be wrong with the fox to be the reason he would cover himself up so much.

"Here we are," Leo said, pointing up to where they lived. Alex looked up at the enormous building that ran high up into the sky. The large apartment complex was several stories high, and was one of the finest in the city, put together much like a house rather then a cheap apartment.

"Whoa, you guys live here?" Alex asked, appearing to be intimidated by the sheer magnitude of the place. "How can you afford it?"

"A friend of ours lives here as well, pulled some strings and got us a drop on rent."

274 was their room number, taking the elevator, they made it inside the apartment. Leo immediately let out an exhausted huff as he dropped onto the couch, even though they had only been gone a little over an hour.

"Wow, impressive place you have," Alex said, admiring their apartment, "much nicer then what I'm used to."

"Wait until you see the entertainment," Leo shouted, running over to the TV set up in front of the couch. There sat a Wii and 360. The Wii being Leo's, set up there to allow more room to play, and the 360 was the spare, so Leo would keep away from Aeris' own that she kept safely in her room.

"Nice selection of games," Alex commented, looking at the shelves of games they had on the wall.

"Wana play some?" Leo asked excitedly.

"Yeah sure, I guess a few hours can be spared before bed." As Leo turned on the system and put in a disc, Alex took a seat in front of the TV with a controller in hand. Aeris noticed the fox still wore his trench coat, even being indoors.

Stranger still was what else he hid with it. She had yet to see his tail at all, being hidden away beneath the coat. While it seemed obvious that the long coat would cover his tail, when he sat down, he was still covered, as if he was intentionally hiding it away. Though she could see a slight bulge in the back of the coat, certain that was where the fox's tail was.

"Well you two have fun," Aeris said, heading for her room, "I going to go..."

"Play your game," Alex finished, chuckling to himself at her excitement.

"Mmhmm," she said, her last 'word' before her bedroom door shut behind her.

Immediately, Aeris turned on her 360, inserted the game, and relaxed in her gaming chair as she started playing. The hours bled together as she was lost in the game, only being brought out of her immersion by the sounds of Leo and Alex going at it during their own gaming.

But the sounds began to die as Aeris heard the scuffle of feet before her door.

"Night Aeris," she heard Leo mutter through a yawn.

"Yup," she said, before hearing his door open and close, showing the gray cat had went to bed.

From then on Aeris' attention was split. While she played her game, her eyes continuously shifted toward the clock in her room, watching as each minute ticked by. After about an hour had shifted by on the clock, she paused the game and carefully crept out of the room.

The apartment was pitch black, if it wasn't for her cat eyes adjusting to the darkness, she wouldn't be able to see a thing. Silently, she moved into the living room, there she spotted the sleeping fox on the couch.

He appeared quite comfortable, his mouth hung open while a low growl vibrated in the back of his throat with each breath he took. It was easy to tell he was fast asleep, so Aeris moved closer and closer toward him, she had to know what he was hiding.

"_Maybe a burn victim_," she thought to herself, coming up with all kinds of possibilities, "_or horribly scarred, could be some kind of hairless disease..._" Standing right next to him, she noticed that he even wore the trench coat to bed. It only made her more curious as to the reason.

Alex's arm was outstretched on the couch, stiffened from the position he was in. Aeris moved for the hand, thinking the long sleeves of the coat was meant to cover his arms from something. With the stealth of a ninja, she grasped his hand and the sleeve and began pushing it up his arm. But the pink cat didn't get very far as the fox's other hand snatched her wrist with amazing speed

Aeris nearly jumped out of her skin as she realized she was caught.

"What are you doing," Alex mumbled, though he barley faced her, his eyes still closed as though he was still asleep.

"Oh, I..." Aeris was quick to think of an excuse, "I just needed a glass of water and... your arm was in the way." The excuse wasn't very good, Aeris knowing full well that there was plenty of room to move around him to the kitchen.

"All right," Alex said, accepting it, "just be sure to lock up after the dog leaves..." His grip on Aeris' wrist dropped and he turned over on the couch. Aeris was tempted to try again but thought better of it. After a trip to the kitchen sink, making sure to make her ruse accurate, she headed back to her room.

A yawn escaped her as she shut the door, realizing how late it was, she turned her game off and got into bed, the curious fox they had met still on her mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aeris should have hid in a box, no one ever suspects the box! **

**God dammit though, this chapter is a lot longer then I had anticipated. Though I suppose that's not a bad thing, just means it takes longer to make... Anyway, we see introductions being made between our two cats and little fox friend, who happens to be a Sony fan to go against Aeris' Xbox love. (I smell a sitcom!)**

**Then with two, count em, two Castlevania references (evil laugh) Though I think I may be overdoing it... Dunno... Ah well, I'm sure if I'm doing something wrong I'll be told about it.**

**But hopefully with the length of this chapter, it will be enough to hold some people off for the time being. Because... OH MY GOD SKYRIM! (SQUEEEEEE!) It's so damn close... can't wait... And because it's elder scrolls, I could spend weeks playing the game to it's fullest. But I will try my best to find time to balance fanfics with Skyrim and work.**

**And so I don't sound like an inconsiderate ass. Thanks to everyone who has left a review so far, knowing people are enjoying the fic gives me such a fuzzy feeling inside...**

* * *

><p><strong><em>Behind <span>the<span> Chapters:_ (What? Everything else has behind the scenes crap, why not fanfics?) **

**Alex Kage, interesting name ain't it? (is it? .idk.) His first name is actually that of a friend of mine, who I've based a bit of his personality off of. And yes, it's the same friend I mentioned in chapter 2 about Goldshire... It took a while for me to think of a suitable last name (frankly, I'm terrible at naming characters) but I decided to use Kage. The name being composed of my initials with an added e at the end.**

**GameShop, the infamous gaming store we have seen in the comic (I think only once we actually see it but meh) Name sound familiar? Well, I had originally planned to use GameStop as their choice of shopping pleasure. But they refused to pay me for advertising... so I said they could burn in hell. Right before I payed the man 5 bucks for my reserve of Skyrim... (insert troll face here)**


	4. Food Games Secrets

**Chapter 4:** **Food Games Secrets**

The warm morning sun through her window greeted Aeris well, relaxing the feline even more as she stirred in her covers. Her eyes sluggishly opened and closed as she drifted in and out of a sleeping state. Giving a quick glance to her clock, she quickly concluded that she could spare another hour or two to rest, recharging her systems to allow playing her 360 without exhaustion. A faint sound of something sizzling along with the aroma of food caught her senses as she returned to a sleeping form.

"_Leo must be making himself breakfast,_" Aeris thought, just as her eyes closed and her brain began to rest. But it took only a moment for the realization to finally dawn on her as her eyes cracked fully open. The horrible memories of Leo's last attempt at cooking flooding into her mind, with the apartment almost turning into a den of flames.

With the fear waking her body fully, Aeris rushed out of bed and into the kitchen.

"Leo!" she shouted, getting ready to stop whatever nonsense he was doing. But she was stopped in her tracks as she saw, not Leo, but their company standing before the stove, a spatula in hand.

"Good morning," Alex greeted with a smile, breaking an egg into the pan he had before him. "Hope you don't mind that I raided your fridge, woke up with my stomach growling and had to fix something." Aeris spotted Leo sitting at the table, a generous supply of flapjacks sitting before him as he cut into them. "Don't worry, I've got something here for you too."

"All right...," Aeris said in confusion as she sat down. No one had ever made breakfast for her before, save for when she was back at her parents' home. With Leo's inability to cook anything without setting the surrounding area on fire, she did all of the cooking herself. Aeris noticed how well Alex cooked as well, three pans going off at once, two holding eggs and the other with strips of bacon. He gave each the attention they needed as he worked them over to make a meal.

And to Aeris annoyance, even when cooking, he still wore his trench coat. Not even the sleeves were rolled up as he completely ignored the hazard they could be. But she didn't have to wait very long before a plate was set in front of her.

"Leo mentioned you liked them scrambled," he said, returning back to the stove to finish up his own breakfast. Leo was still silent, the only sound coming from him was grotesque slurping as he engulfed the syrupy pancakes. After adding the needed flavoring of salt and pepper, Aeris dug into her own. The eggs themselves were all right, she was sure she could do it better, but the added bacon he set with it was divine.

"Not bad," she said, taking another bite into the strips of pork. Alex laughed as he watched her try it.

"I'll admit that I'm not very good with eggs, never been my forte, but I _know_ my expertise in meat hasn't gone rusty." Not long after, Alex turned off the stove and sat down with the two cats. His own breakfast was an egg, cheese, and bacon sandwich. "Delicious," he said right before taking a large bite.

"I must ask," Aeris began, "where did you learn to cook so efficiently?" For a moment, Alex didn't answer, staring off into space as he thought on the question.

"Well, I'm used to multitasking in front of an oven. Worked in a small restaurant for a short while as a teenager. Had to learn to cook things in the shortest amount of time." Aeris nodded her head in understanding, beginning to piece together what she knew about the fox. They ate for a few minutes in silence, each enjoying their food to the fullest. After some time, they got to the point where they were just picking at the scraps. The silence remained until a loud belch burst from Leo's gaping maw, having just finished his pancakes.

"God dammit Leo," Aeris said angrily, "there's no reason for that sick behavior." Leo hardly paid any attention to her as he was laughing over his own bodily function. Aeris then rethought what she had said and looked apologetically toward Alex, who was taking the last bite from his sandwich. "Oh, I'm sorry for that God comment." The fox just looked at her quizzically for a moment, his lips began to twitch and he matched Leo's laugh, behaving like she had just told a joke.

"What," he said through his laugh, "you take me for some religious nut?"

"Well, I remember your gaming name being IronCross, I only thought that you..." Aeris was stopped by an even harder burst of laughter from Alex. "What the hell is so funny?" She was becoming angry at this point.

"Heh, oh God sorry. I just couldn't help but find amusement in your assumption that I'm the religious type. Based off of the Cross in my name no less, ha. But no, though I suppose you aren't the first to make that mistake. Cross in any form doesn't necessarily tie into crucifix, there are other meanings as well as symbols. And no, I'm not into the whole higher power, obey us or take hellfire thing. To be honest, the church and me don't see eye to eye.

"How so?"

"It's... it's a long story," he muttered before taking a sip from the glass of milk he had. Aeris was about to press the question further but their fox friend got up from his chair as he looked at the clock. "Oh my, is it that late already? Sorry guys, I really need to get to my apartment while I can, get that spare key and all that." He put his plate in the sink and went for the door. "Hate to leave you guys with clean up, but I cooked you guys clean, that's how it works right? Thanks once again for putting up with me, see you in the store sometime."

"Wait," Leo said, just as Alex was about to leave, "why don't you come back sometime and we can hangout?" The fox looked uncertain about it, acting nervous about the question.

"I wouldn't mind that either," Aeris added in, "would be a nice change of pace to see a new face around here."

"Oh," Alex mumbled, "well... yeah... I suppose so, maybe tomorrow?" Leo nodded ecstatically, giving Alex a small smile. "Okay then, I'll see you guys then." He then left, leaving the two cats with a mess of pans and plates to clean up.

"See Aeris," Leo said as they gathered everything, "you be nice to people and you can make new friends."

"I suppose," she muttered, appearing sidetracked with something, "but he seems rather... odd."

"Seems normal to me."

"Of course you wouldn't think so," Aeris said, the general company he usually associated with came to mind.

* * *

><p>The next day, the two cats were visited by a red fox. Happy to see him, Leo immediately pulled him into a gaming battle as Aeris watched. They switched turns between each other, Aeris beginning to see his skills in video games didn't just exist among snipers in shooters.<p>

It was a good time had by all, as the hours passed, Alex looked to the clock and realized he had to leave. Though Leo was disappointed, he was reassured that he would return.

Days went on like this, with Alex visiting Leo and Aeris at their apartment, and a round of games being played between them. Each time Aeris grew more and more annoyed by one glaring fact. The damned trench coat he always wore. His attire changed underneath of it, with his coat always worn open, it was clear he changed shirts. But Aeris was continuously brought under the suspicion that something about him was more then it seemed.

At one point, the pink feline was tempted to just pin the fox down and rip the coat to shreds. Of course it was quickly pushed aside, with the slight possibility that it could just be a fashion statement by the fox, the awkward embarrassment alone would be enough to kill her.

They didn't learn much about the fox during his stays however, their conversations consisted of games and little else. Though they picked up on his enjoyment of bubble gum as he got into his games, blowing large pink bubbles as he chomped down on the rubbery candy.

It was an unchanging cycle that lasted for days, until it was broken by his latest visit to the apartment.

"Ready to get taken down again Leo," Alex said with high confidence.

"Ha, like the last game we played? You couldn't stay spawned for more then a few minutes before you were taken out again."

"I just need to keep my mind steady, I got just enough gum to handle it too." The fox reached into his coat pockets and took a moment as he rifled through them. "Ah, here it is." He pulled out the packet of gum. But when he did it, the rest of the pocket's contents came out with it. Though he didn't seem to notice as he took a spot next to Leo in their challenge to one another.

Aeris however did notice, picking up what he had dropped. Just a few bills, loose change and a crumpled up piece of paper. Curiosity getting the best of her, she opened up the paper to see what it said. While scanning the paper, a look of concern crossed her.

"Alex..." she said, her eyes not leaving the paper.

"Yeah," he replied, hardly giving her any attention, like a child to his mother.

"What is this?" Alex looked toward her for a moment, preparing to quickly look back to the game. But when his gaze caught the paper in her hands, his face locked to the spot while a shocked expression took over. Immediately, his hand shot into his coat pocket, looking for a piece of paper that wasn't there.

"Oh, that... that's nothing, just nothing." He paused the game and got up, reaching out for the paper. "Just give it here." As his hand was about to grab it, she yanked away.

"How is this nothing," she said, her anger starting to go up from being so obviously lied to.

"Look, it doesn't concern you, that's how it's nothing." Alex's own voice was beginning to rise.

"What is it?" Leo asked, finally gaining a bit of interest into the spectacle. Aeris handed him the paper, Leo scanned over the words, reading aloud as he did. "Notice of eviction. To Alex Kage, room number 10. Due to unsatisfactory condition of room and key. Deadline of three days to vacate all belongings from premises." Alex was able to snatch the paper from Leo just as he finished it, tearing it to pieces in a fit of frustration.

"All right," he said with an angered sigh, "yes, I was kicked out of the apartment yesterday. Didn't want to worry you guys over it."

"And it was because you lost your key?" Aeris asked, unable to fight the feeling that it was somewhat her fault.

"Nah, that was just the excuse she used to kick me out."

"Excuse?"

"She couldn't very well get rid of me due to the real reason." He said once again, his ears dropping down. "Didn't think she hated my kind that bad... ah well."

"Your landlady hates foxes?" Alex's ears perked up in surprise at the question.

"Uh... yeah, that she does. Like I said, it's nothing, I'm sure I can find a place in time."

"Didn't you say that place was all you could find?" Leo asked, remembering what he had said before.

"Yeah, but I'll make due. Even if I have to look farther into the city." Just then, Leo clapped his hands together as he realized something.

"I know," he exclaimed, "you can stay here with us. We have a spare room that's just used for space. We can clean it up and let you live in it." A look of complete shock appeared on Alex's face at the idea. He looked over to Aeris, sure that she would be against it, but she merely nodded her head as she thought on it.

"For once he is right. The apartment was made for at least four people, and we keep getting hounded about not having anyone else living here. And I'd rather have you here then the freaks Leo keeps trying to get to move in." The look on the fox's face was only increased by her answer.

"No no," he said, "I'm appreciative for the offer, but I'd rather not take advantage of your hospitality anymore then I have. Besides, I'm not the best of roommates." As quick as a flash, Aeris charged into the fox, bending his arm behind his back and pushing him against the nearest wall, pressing his face against the flat surface.

"I'm not normally this generous," she growled threateningly. "And you are _not_ making me very happy by just saying no to our offer when you so clearly need it. Why don't you tell us what's going on, and don't you dare lie to me!"

"Ow, dammit, all right all right," Alex said, before Aeris finally let him go. "Believe me when I tell you it has nothing to do with either of you. It's just that... well,we all have our secrets... I just wanted to keep them from you guys as not to ruin anything between us."

"What could be so bad that it would change how we think of you?" Alex sighed again, becoming regretful for what he was about to do.

"I suppose I couldn't keep it a secret for long. So, before you think about actually having me here, you should know something about me. But for you to understand better, I guess I need to show you first."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So chapter 4 is a go. Not as long as the last one, but I figured here would be a good stopping point, suspense and all that. We've seen a bit more of Alex, or lack thereof.  
><strong>

**Next chapter we will see who he really is. The long lost brother of Leo... (cough) I don't know, I mean this _is_ a fanfic, so that could _totally_ happen...**

**And yes, I have been enjoying the hell out of Skyrim so far. Fantastic game, vast improvement to Oblivion. And so far I haven't encountered any game breaking glitches, so that's a plus for a Bethesda game. But regardless of my growing addiction to this game, I'm trying to give myself time to work on these chapters. Which is going to be even harder because AC:R comes out this Tuesday (drool) **


	5. Bred This Way

**Chapter 5: Bred This Way**

"Just remember," Alex said, "keep an open mind and please be understanding." Both cats nodded as the curiosity was too much to bear between them both. Even then though, they could see the hesitant nature come over their fox friend, as though he was making a difficult decision in a moments notice.

Giving a heavy sigh, Alex removed his trench coat. The red fox wore a short-sleeve shirt underneath of it, giving a clear view to his bare arms and what he was hiding. Both cats looked in shock at what they saw, the fox's arms were striped.

A pattern of stripes moved down his arm, stopping just as they came to the wrist. Colored with a dark orange that was the typical shade for a fox's fur. After a moment of Alex standing there, in the sights of Leo and Aeris, he began removing his shirt. Dropping it to the ground, he showed off the rest of his fur coat. More stripes went up the entirety of his arms, moving up his arms and past the shoulders. His chest remained clean however, the white fur covering it moved up to the front of his neck and connected to his cheeks. Only the tips of a few stripes broke the border between the red of his sides and the white of his chest.

Alex turned around, showing them his back. Even more orange stripes went across the red fur, changing in size and length all throughout.

"As you can see," Alex said, catching the surprise written on the cats' faces, "I'm not a fox. Well... not completely anyway."

"But how..." Leo tried saying, dumbstruck to the point where he couldn't form words correctly.

"This isn't that abnormal," Alex said, showing a nervous smirk, "when you're a hybrid."

"A hybrid..." Aeris murmured quietly to herself. She knew what that meant, though she still couldn't believe it. Dancers on the thin line of genetics, hybrids were the offspring of couples who were not of the same species. Being given traits from both parents and having unpredictable appearances as a result.

"My father, an honest and hard working fox, met my mother, a beautiful and kind tigress, on the job many years ago. They looked past their obvious differences and fell in love. Eventually leading to a happy marriage... and my creation."

Aeris wanted to hit herself for not noticing it. Even with the coat covering his stripes, there were other signs showing his heritage. Foxes were normally a smaller and much more scrawnier species when compared to other canines. Being known more for their better speed and natural agility then strength. But Alex's physical body was much larger then that of a fox could normally have, with a better height as well as broader in the shoulders and denser in the muscles.

The fur on his head also subtly gave away his tiger origins, the red fur just above the bushy white hairs of his cheeks coming out more then it should, trying to round itself off to appear more tiger like.

With the removal of his coat, it also gave a clear view to what else he was hiding beneath it. As soon as it was taken off, a tail draped down from his backside. It was the most peculiar appendage they had ever seen. Sharing the length of a feline's tail with the iconic bushiness of a fox's. It appeared mostly like a tiger's tail, with the fur exceedingly bushy going around it, ending with a thin tip. More stripes formed around the fur of the tail, though this time colored with a charcoal black, ending with the very tip fully coated in the shade. The main feature that was noticeable about it was the extent at which he could use it. Most canines had little range over how they could move their tails, up and down, side to side, it was all very limited. Felines on the other hand had almost complete control over how they moved. Alex's own showed the feline characteristic well, slowly moving in all conceivable directions it possibly could. Aeris was sure he could even tie it into a knot if he wanted to.

"There you have it," Alex said, looking very squeamish about being gawked at by the two cats. "There are more stripes," pulling up his pant leg slightly, he showed more orange stripes moving up his leg, "but I'm sure you get the idea."

"Why would you hide this?" Aeris asked. Alex's first response was a weak smile and short chuckle.

"Tell me, when was the last time you've seen a hybrid out on the streets?" Leo and Aeris both thought it over, in all honesty, they couldn't think of any recent moment were they had met one, or at least knew that they were a hybrid. They shrugged their answer, making Alex cross his arms. "And why do you think that is?"

"Because they are hard to make?" Leo suggested. Though it wasn't the answer Alex was looking for, he was technically right. Crossbreeding species wasn't a surefire thing. Even for normal couples, conception was still guesswork, not a guarantee. But for people who differed in species, the chances were dropped significantly.

"True," Alex said, understanding why they would think that first, "but I'm talking more about the _other_ reason. More in regards to our place in society." Aeris knew what he was getting at, though she wasn't fully aware of the details as they were never needed. But Alex was ready to explain.

In simple terms, hybrids were disliked, and even hated by some. The intolerance stemming from religious beliefs founded thousands of years ago. Most faiths believed that the union of two people belonging to different species was an unholy act, a work of evil forces trying to bring about corruption. Of course the children of said union were seen as abominations to the world and were to be treated as such.

"Some religions even hunted down cross-species couples and killed them, along with any crossbred 'freaks' they may have created. Of course now a days with the wonderful concept of separation of church and state, there isn't a fear of being publicly lynched every time we show our faces."

"But why hide yourself now?" Aeris asked. Even if the history of hybrids wasn't a pleasant one, it was a different time now that wasn't run by religious fanatics.

"Despite what the church would have you believe, there are some who still cling to those idiotic ideas that we are demons of some sort. Prejudices are then formed from such thinking, and like any disease, it spreads quickly through generations. Religion spawns ignorance, ignorance spawns intolerance. Some just hate hybrids due to the convenience of finding something they can call inferior." Alex sighed as bad memories began to surface. "Some even act violently, it has happened to me on several occasions. There are just some of us who prefer to hide and avoid such pointless struggle. Some of us are lucky enough to being able to cover themselves and have people think of us as normal."

Alex grabbed his shirt and began putting it on. While his back was turned to them, Aeris caught something strange in his fur.

"Wait a second," she said, moving closer to him to make sure she saw it right. There was indeed something there on his back. Just below the right shoulder on his back was a patch of fur that wasn't red like the rest. Rather, it was blue, and Aeris could see that it formed a symbol. The mark was made to look like a stylized F that was carved from ice, it didn't take long for the pink cat to realize it was a tattoo.

Though unlike any tattoo she was used to seeing, it was apart of the fur itself. Many antharians she knew of who had tattoos simply shaved the fur on the spot and used ink the same way humans did, repeatedly shaving the spot whenever the fur would grow back. But she knew of methods were one could tattoo the fur itself, setting the coloring permanently into the hairs. Unlike a simple hair dye, even when shaven off, the fur would grow back into the same color and shape. But not many did it, it was a very expensive process, and very painful.

"Oh, that old thing," Alex muttered, noticing Aeris fascination with it.

"What's it for?" she asked, knowing that someone wouldn't tattoo their fur unless there was an important reason behind it.

"It was from a stupid decision I made a long time ago." He didn't go any further into it.

"Why not just do that in red over your stripes?" Leo asked. It seemed like a good idea, tattooing over the orange stripes with red, without the stripes it would be harder to immediately distinguish his split sides. Alex just frowned at him, as though he were being insulted.

"It's not like I'm ashamed of my heritage," he said, a hint of agitation in his voice, "I've just learned over the years that it's much simpler to just make people think of you as they want to. It has happened many times, people treat me one way when they assume I'm a fox, then show a completely different side when they realize what I really am."

"How could you handle all the hatred though?" Aeris couldn't see how he could. She used to be made fun of in school as a child for her pink fur, even though it didn't last forever, the constant feeling of being targeted like that got to her. She couldn't begin to imagine what being hated for so long could be like.

"To be honest, I hate the sympathetic lot more then the spiteful ones. Those people immediately feel 'sorry' for me because of my life, thinking of it as a constant stream of miserable depressions. But that's just it, I would love to sit here and lament about how my life was terrible for being a monster to society, how happiness was a rare occurrence in an otherwise dark existence. But it wasn't... I had a good childhood, a loving family and wonderful home were all I needed. Even after those blissful years, things may have gotten worse for me, but in the city where I grew up, many people were worse off then I was."

"I'm sorry," Aeris muttered, she didn't know how to approach what she was learning about their friend.

"Don't be," Alex said with a sigh. "Listen, I only kept myself hidden from you because I didn't know how you felt about my kind. All too often I would become acquainted with people, then have it turn out they're a bunch of bigots."

"And you see that we aren't, right?" That was a point Aeris wanted to get across. Though she was completely blown away by what she had just found out, she never felt any differently towards people just because of their species. Alex showed a smile at her question.

"Of course. Hell, you two are probably the most tolerant people I've met in a long time." Alex collapsed onto the couch, letting out an exhausted sigh as he looked up at the ceiling. "I must say, it feels much better to get that off my chest."

"Literally," Leo said, lightly chuckling to himself until a punch in the arm by Aeris was given. Though her attention was being redirected to something else. It was something that had gone unnoticed until just now, making her surprised that she never noticed it before. A different piece to his attire, a black strap wrapped around his neck.

"What is that?" she asked, gaining Alex's attention as she pointed at him. Not waiting for an answer, she went to the coach and leaned in front of him, staring down at his neck. She realized it was a collar, made of a fine black leather that was locked snugly in place. It had gone unnoticed before due to the collar of his coat taking attention away from it, but with it off, she could see it clearly.

What was odd was why a fox-tiger mix would wear it. Aeris knew of only two types of collars, bigger ones that dogs would wear, and slightly smaller ones for cats. But even then, it was an accessory that wasn't used by many. Alex's own was made for dogs.

"Ha," Leo said as soon as he noticed what it was, "our new friend is into the kinky stuff huh." Alex's reaction was an amusing sight, his eyes going wide for a moment in embarrassed shock.

"What? No no, it's nothing like that."

"Pfft, yeah right. Who wears collars like that?"

"_You_ wear a collar ya know," Aeris retorted indicating the blue collar with an attached bell around his neck.

"Yeah... but I'm a cat," Leo said, playfully pawing at the air.

"Well, believe what you want. I do understand that not many people apart from the occasional dog would wear a collar like this, unless it's for a particular depressed style or... fetish... But if you must know, it was a gift from someone whose not with us anymore, one of the few things I'm sentimental for..."

While examining the collar Aeris noticed something on it. Threads that weren't apart of the original stitching. Forcibly moving Alex's head to the side, much to his displeasure, she looked closer at the threads. They spelled out names, Charles, Jena, and Max all in white and appeared to have been crudely done by hand.

"Who are these people?" she asked, finally letting go of him. Alex didn't answer right away, a saddened look came about him.

"They... they're my family." His hand ran across each name as he said them. "My father, my mother, and my little brother. The only family I've ever known and the only one I needed."

"Where are they now?" Leo asked, taking up the third seat on the couch.

"Dead," Alex said through a sigh, the two cats looked at him with both surprise and sympathy. There was an obvious question to follow, but there was no need for it to be asked. "There was a fire..." His gaze dropped down onto the carpet of the living room, his eyes showing a blank stare as pained memories flooded through the hybrid's mind. "It came out of nowhere and engulfed everything. I wasn't inside the house at the time, but they were... There was no escaping it, and the realization that they were gone hit me instantly. I ran away from the scene, the pain becoming too much for me to witness any longer. Authorities never looked for me, to lock me up in their flawed system of orphaned children, abandoning me to the streets. Though I don't think they cared, it was one less family of freaks to deal with." When he was finished, Alex reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small rectangle and tossing it to the cats. "Take a look."

It was his wallet, simple and plain for the necessary need for money and card storage. They looked inside, but the wallet was empty except for a few American dollars that ranged from twenties to fifties and a sheet of soft transparent plastic that housed a photo.

The picture showed three people a fox, a tiger and someone in between. Even to Leo's limited intellect, it wasn't difficult for them to distinguish who the people were. Charles was a handsome fox, orange in fur color like most foxes would be, his hair set to a deep jet black with two black marks coming from the base of his muzzle. Alex's mother, Jena, was the most beautiful feline Aeris had ever seen. The tigress' yellow eyes seemed to sparkle even in the picture, her flowing hair being a lovely shade of red, showing where Alex got his fur color. She stood almost half a foot taller then her husband, easily showing the difference in height both species had to one another.

Alex stood in front of them, shorter then his parents. Though that was due to his even shorter age. Looking to be no older then eight or ten, he appeared much like he did now. Only a difference in teeth stood out, the fangs in the front protruded out from under his lip, being too large to fit snugly within. It was clear that his muzzle hadn't adapted to the greater size of a tiger's fangs.

They all looked like a happy family, no indication to a life of contempt or resentment was present. All three stood together and smiled well for the camera, Alex's father had a hand in his son's hair and playfully messed it about, while his mother gave a look of acceptance the tomfoolery and absentmindedly held a hand on her stomach, which seemed to be oddly big when compared to the rest of her thin body.

There was another photo tucked in behind the first, they turned the plastic over to see it, it was another picture of the family. But obvious changes had occurred. Though his parents hadn't changed much, Alex had grown up, a growing teenaged hybrid looked at them through the photo they held. Another change in the family was that there was a fourth person standing with them. Max, looking to be near six or eight, he was more mismatched then his older brother was.

Alex's brother appeared much more like a tiger when it came to facial appearances, though his stripes were set to an odd pattern when compared to another tiger and the fur on his cheeks was much shaggier and spiky. But his ears were large and pointed like a fox's. Though a noticeable difference in them were their size, appearing to be twice the size they should be. With the added weight, his ears drooped downward at an angle.

The young crossbreed looked shy by nature, appearing nervous in the picture while the rest of the family smiled. His tail was pulled up in front of him, slightly hiding his face away as he held onto it, showing how odd his tail looked compared to his species. Lacking in any tiger aspect, his tail was exceedingly bushy, even for a fox. The fur itself had no noticeable features to it, just being a large mass of black fur. Aeris couldn't help but find the little hybrid to be the most adorable thing she had ever seen.

One thing about the Kage family caught their eye, something shared between the three males that made itself easy to see.

"You all have the same ears," Aeris said. It was true, the ears of the three all had the exact same pattern on it. Their pointed fox ears had the right ear tipped in black, while the other held two stripes going around the center. While it could be assumed that it was due to their crossed genes, that concept didn't last as the full blooded fox father had it as well.

"Yeah," Alex said, looking upward to try and see his own ears, "it's a family trait actually. Every fox in the Kage family has it. "

"Well," Aeris said, handing back the wallet, "our offer still stands Alex. You're still our friend, what you are doesn't change that." Hearing those words brought a smile to the hybrid's face.

* * *

><p>Preparing for their new roommate, Leo and Aeris began cleaning out their spare room, Alex providing what help he could. Boxes of all sorts where taken out and moved to either different parts of the apartment or to the trash. Alex didn't catch a glimpse at anything that was inside them, though one caught his attention as Leo dropped it on his foot.<p>

"YEOW!" he shouted, feeling the tremendous weight of the box crushing his foot. " Damn it all, what the hell is in that thing!" Alex grabbed his aching foot as he jumped up and down on his working leg, putting on an amusing show for Aeris.

"Sorry," Leo said. Alex collapsed onto the ground, sitting there as his foot began to numb. Leo grabbed the box and turned toward his room. The hybrid caught a brief glimpse of faded lettering that was written on the box, 'box -o r xo z'. Unable to make heads or tails of it, Alex put it out of his mind as he worried more about making sure nothing was shattered in his foot.

With his injury, it was up to Leo and Aeris to finish the clean up while Alex watched. Their speed was dropping as the room was running out of things to take out of it. Though he was becoming disinterested quickly, he immediately became atentive when they both carried a large object out.

"Is... is that a cage?" Alex asked, looking at the cage with confusion. Very large, it was the main thing that he noticed about it. Big enough to easily fit a person inside, though they wouldn't have much spare room afterward.

"Yeah," Aeris said, light grunts coming between breaths as she carried the heavy thing, "we uh... used to have a pet... Right Leo." Leo gave a nervous nod as they walked by.

"Y-yeah," he said, a slight shake in his voice, "a really _big_ pet..."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh god, this... this entire thing has just gone terribly. **

**Well... I feel like I need to apologize for a few things. One is the quality (don't need to sugar coat it, this chapter sucks I know it) to be honest I've had a terrible time doing this chapter. The main reason being my damn luck with starting it. **

**The day I decide to start working on it, my damn allergies decide to hit up. Think of it as me being sick but not really being sick... Happens once every fall and spring, changing of season an all that. Nose gets stuffy and I can't breathe out of it, and I get a bad cough. Well it hit me, but OH GOD I also get a sore throat at the same time to go along with it... so yeah... with that horrible ass combination, I felt like shit. Added with the fact that because of this combination of ailments, I get a headache that feels like two drills going into my ears (And YES they ARE meeting in the middle!)**

**So yeah, it's not the best condition for making fanfics. Though don't worry, all I have now is a minor cough so it ain't all bad. But as you've seen from just reading this, this chapter may have dropped down your expectations a little.**

**The second thing I should apologize for is that, yes, Alex is moving in with Leo and Aeris. (dodges brick being thrown by audience) Okay, first thing, _that_ was uncalled for. Second, I know I know, I hate myself for doing it too. To be honest, I didn't want to, I've even tried thinking of better ways for the plot to move along nicely with Alex's own place, but it just didn't work out. Plus him being manhandled by Aeris to move in seemed like a good way for his little 'secret' to be revealed.**

**And about that secret, we see that I've been trolling from the start... Added in with a bit of a history lesson into the world of VG cats. We'll see how this unfolds itself later on. **

**So once again, I'm sorry for the bads, but accept the goods. Hope you all have enjoyed this chapter regardless.**


	6. Settling In

**Chapter 6: Settling In**

"Well there have it," Aeris said triumphantly, staring into the now vacant storage room they've prepared for their friend.

"Looks... empty," Alex said, noticing the abundance of space. The only thing in the room now was a bed set off into the corner, with only a thin layer of dirty sheets on it.

"What did you expect from a storage room?"

"I guess too much... No matter, I have all I need back at the old complex, it's still early so I should be able to get it today." The hybrid turned to Leo who was brushing the accumulated dust off of himself. "Mind helping me out Leo?" The gray cat nodded but Aeris moved to stop them.

"You sure you can make it on your foot?" Alex gave her a puzzled look, surprised by her concern but soon smiled at it.

"I've soaked it long enough in ice water, I can walk well enough."

"Fine, I suppose while you two do that, I can get some of the dust we've scattered out of here. Then go and get everything set up so you can officially move in here."

The three laid their plans out and Alex and Leo went off toward his old apartment.

"We should head up to GameShop first," Alex suggested, "need to get a couple of clothes out of my locker."

On their way to their favorite gaming store, Leo sparked up numerous conversations about what games he liked. As usual, it was mostly one sided, Alex hardly able to get a word in, but it was a good distraction as they were already in front of the store. Though a large crowd made their goal of getting in daunting.

"Let's take the side entrance," Alex muttered quietly. Creeping into the space between the store and another building, the found a metal door to the side, a series of trashcans set up next to it. As he was about to open the door, it swung open on its own.

Leo and Alex both gasped in surprise and jumped backward into the wall behind them. A man stood in the doorway, a 'manager' tag pinned to his chest.

"What are you doing here Alex?" he asked, sounding highly agitated.

"Jesus Mr. Baxton," Alex said, catching his breath, "scare the hell out of us like that... Anyway, I know it's my day off and all but I'm just making a quick stop here to pick up a few things from my locker, won't take but a moment." Mr. Baxton reached back into the building for a moment, appearing with a box in hand and shoving it into the hybrid's grasp.

"No need," he said, his angered tone going unchanged. Alex checked the box and realized it was all the things he had in his locker.

"What's this all about?"

"You're fired Alex." A clear look of shock crossed his face as he heard it.

"Wait a minute, what the hell for?" Mr. Baxton's angered look increased as his brow lowered into a glare.

"I've seen your little 'expenditure', giving someone that game before it was released. What the hell were you thinking?" Alex's shocked expression was replaced with a dumbstruck one.

"That? A friend wanted the game and I thought why the hell not. You seriously can't fire me over something like that!"

"Oh? Do you have any idea what that could have done to our contracts with Imanok? If they found out, they would cancel on us, that means we lose money! You've been a thorn in my ass for too long, you're gone Alex!" He went back into the store, slamming the door shut behind him.

"Fucking ass," Alex growled, giving the closed door the finger before turning to leave.

"Tough break," Leo said, unable to find more tactful words. The hybrid shrugged it off.

"It's nothing, hated that place anyway. As it turns out, working at a place that sells games isn't as fun as you think."

"Well... you met us from it." Leo's comment made Alex laugh.

"Yeah, I suppose it did... Come on, let's go get the rest of my things. I'm sure Aeris will get pissed if we take too long."

They made it to Alex's old apartment, where after several choice words with the landlady, they were able to pack up what little Alex had and started making their way back.

"You don't have much," Leo pointed out, carrying only a box full of clothes, a suitcase, and a ragged bag slung overh is back. Alex had everything else in his own box, as well as the one he got from work.

"Never been one for extravagance," he replied, keeping his eyes ahead of him as to not lose his footing. "When I had to start making it on my own, I only ever had enough for a few necessities. Just got used to it I guess."

Eventually making it back, they entered the apartment to see an agitated pink cat conversing with a rather tall weasel.

"Look," the weasel said, "I've been more then lenient when it came to your living arrangements. But I need to at least meet this person before you throw your doors open to anyone."

"Something wrong?" Alex asked, gaining the attention of the two. Immediately, he felt the weasel's eyes moving up and down him.

"So you're Alex?" They hybrid nodded. "What do you do?"

"Uh... I... uh..." The question had caught him completely off guard.

"Your profession Mr. Kage, what you do for money."

"Oh," he could only give the weasel a blank stare, "I was working in gaming retail but-"

"He was fired." Leo finished. Alex's elbow found its way into the gray cat's stomach too late. There was a glare in the eyes of the weasel as he heard the news.

"So I'm expected to allow an unemployed vagrant live here? Well I can assure you that won't happen."

"Wait," Alex said, finding his composure, "trust me when I say I won't be any trouble. And payment won't be a problem, you can even charge me the full amount." He reached into the bag Leo wore and, after a moment of searching, pulled out a small wad of money. "Take this as an advanced payment, whatever's leftover you can accept as a gift for the short notice." The weasel took the money and flipped through it, a small smile appearing on his lips.

"Very well, I'll allow it. But I better not hear any trouble from any of you." The three nodded and the weasel left the apartment. Aeris looked at Alex with concern.

"You were fired?" Alex looked down at the floor and nodded. "What for?"

"They found out he was a crossbreed." Leo said jokingly.

"Don't tell her that," Alex said, punching him in the arm, "we don't need her going off on equal rights." He could remember the rant she gave off when she fully realized that his eviction was due to his crossing genes. There was still a ringing in his ears from it. "It was from giving a customer a game before its release date."

Alex had a long laugh at the face Aeris gave at the explanation, in shock of finding out it was because of her he lost his job, priceless.

"What are you going to do for money then?" Alex just collapsed onto the couch, his uninterested attitude to the situation was still evident. His first answer was a simple shrug.

"I never took the job for its money, just gave me something to do. But don't worry, I have enough funds to keep me going steady enough, call it my... inheritance." His eyes locked onto her and he showed a smirk. "And that prize money I got from that tournament has helped _nicely_." Aeris glared at him before she turned to her room.

"Well everything's cleaned up in there, get your crap unpacked so we can decide on dinner, I'm getting hungry."

"Yeah yeah," Alex said, annoyed because he had just gotten comfortable.

Throwing most of the boxes into the room, he took the last one and set it up next to the TV. Reaching inside, he pulled out a PS3 and placed it next to the 360. Leo had already begun sifting through the small library of games he had while Alex sorted out the cords.

"Setting it up in here?" Aeris asked, noticing the small spectacle as they turned on the system.

"Well I don't exactly have anything to play it on in my room... hint hint..."

"We don't have any spare TVs," Aeris said flatly.

"Damn... Ah well, I never watch TV in my bedroom anyway. Always played games on the living room one since I've never had one in my room growing up."

"Aw," Leo said, already playing a game on the system, "that must have sucked. I've always had a big screen in my room back home." Aeris gave the hybrid a questioning look, Alex noticed it and sighed to himself.

"My parents were the 'unsupervised television will rot your brain' types." Alex's gaze moved toward Leo, staring at the screen with a vast emptiness behind his eyes, unblinking. "Then again... they may have been more thoughtful then I gave them credit for..."

* * *

><p>The next day, Leo wanted to show Alex all of his favorite hotspots around the city. With the two boys out of the apartment, it gave Aeris much appreciated time to herself.<p>

Laying out on the coach, she opened her latest novel and began reading. A peaceful silence radiated around her that made delving into the magical book all the easier. As time ticked by, the thick stack of pages that she had yet to read began to dwindle.

Aeris was surprised as she turned the last page of the book and found herself staring at the back cover. Whenever she used to try and read, she could only make a chapter or two before Leo would ruin the atmosphere for her. Checking the clock, she saw how much time had passed. From her understanding, Leo and Alex should have been back hours ago.

Even Leo couldn't drag out that much time with the menial plans he had in mind to show their new roommate. Aeris shook the concern away, not caring what they do to spend their time. But it didn't stop the clock to continue ticking by, making the uncertain worry come once again.

Tempted to go and look for them, Aeris set aside her book and reached for her jacket. Just then, the front door opened with Leo and Alex coming in.

"You really can't blame me for that," Leo said, sounding defensive over something.

"The hell I can't, he's _your_ so called friend," Alex retorted, a mixture of anger and annoyance written on his face.

"You startled him. He's been going through a lot lately with his wife divorcing him, some random hybrid popping up out of nowhere could really freak someone out." Alex groaned heavily while shaking his head, realizing it was pointless to argue with the cat.

"Where have you two been?" Aeris asked, curious as to why they had been gone for so long, and what they were talking about.

"Simple the ton over here had to drag me to every damn store that had anything to do with lowering your IQ," Alex replied, looking tired from the trip. "We met a few of the people you know along the way as well. Including that one guy... who... seems to suffer from a heroic delusion of some sort." It wasn't hard to figure out who he was talking about, there was only one costumed 'hero' running around.

"Pantsman," she said.

"Yeah yeah, that's the name." Alex took off his trench coat to relax. With it's removal, Aeris noticed that his entire forearm had turned white. After a moment of her eyes focusing on it, she realized that they were bandages.

"Alex, what the hell happened to you," she said. Alex winced in pain as she grabbed his arm to examine it. A faint pink hue ran across the top where blood had stained.

"Well," Alex said, giving a low growl in Leo's direction, "one of those 'friends' we saw was a homeless man who was mentally unstable."

"Dr. Hobo," Leo muttered.

"Seemed like any crazy hobo, no different then the dozens I've seen in my time. Then out of nowhere he starts raving about me being with the 'gov'ment' and his wife's attorney. He pulled out a scalpel and swung it at me."

"Never seen someone run so fast before," Leo said with a laugh.

"Of course I got this cut, but we managed to get away from him. We then spent the next few hours in the hospital, mostly in the waiting room. All that wait amounted to an unqualified nurse disinfecting my arm and wrapping it in bandages, added with an insane bill for the simple task. Hospital bills are as overpriced here as they are in the states. Could have easily bought peroxide and bandages myself for a few bucks."

"It was a learning experience for ya," Leo said, having sat down in front of the TV.

Alex gave a frustrated growl before going to his room. While Leo channel surfed, Aeris crept behind him. Holding her book firmly, she swung it into the back of feline's head.

"Ow, what was that for?" Aeris' response was a glare for asking such a stupid question.

* * *

><p>Having a new roommate had begun to be normalized as the three went about their lives. A week passed by with hardly any notice, as nothing special seemed to happen. Even with the new company, it didn't bring any excitement.<p>

Aeris had just beaten Super Dungeon Guy 4 and turned off her steaming 360, taking a moment to feel proud for herself. After that moment, the mind numbing boredom returned and Aeris quickly left her room in search of something, anything. What she found in the living room was a missing gray cat and a crossbreed on their couch.

Not noticing Aeris' approach, Alex continued what he was doing, though it didn't look like it was much. The TV was on, but he didn't show any interest in what was on, his focus being spent on his fingers and a nail file in his hands. Curious, Aeris sat down next to him and watched him work. But the hybrid stopped as Aeris came into his field of view.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Oh, just sharpening my claws," Alex replied, continuing his previous action with the file. Aeris noticed the black claws coming from his fingers. They were much larger then a fox's though it was obvious whose side of the family he got them from. "Usually have to do it once a month or they get too big and jagged and cut up my hands."

After another minute, he set the nail file down and blew on his claws to remove the debris. When he was done inspecting them the claws retracted back, only their tips still protruded from his fingertips.

"Must be quite a chore," Aeris remarked, only having to work on her own a few times a year.

"I've gotten used to it, just one of the things I get from the crossbreed 'mutations'."

"Mutations?"

"There isn't a technical term for it, people just refer to it like that. Crossbred traits aren't all sorted out easily like you might think, sometimes anomalies occur that can change the hybrid's appearance or even affect their health in the long run, all based on what species are split."

"Like your claws?"

"Right. Other aspects have been skewed as well, my eyes for example." He turned off the TV and lamp set beside the sofa, flooding the room in darkness. Aeris' eyes were quick to adjust, she was quick to notice Alex next to her, his own eyes giving a dim reflective glow. Like a cat's eyes.

"Huh, your eyes..."

"Yeah, much like your own," Alex said, turning the light back on. With the sudden flash of illumination, he grunted in pain and rubbed his eyes. "They adapt well enough to the darkness, maybe even too well. They become sensitive and after they've adjusted, it's difficult to rest, like trying to sleep with a lamp shining in your face. I usually wear a sleeping mask to keep them closed, sadly I lost mine and haven't remembered to get one."

"Is that all you've had?" Aeris asked, becoming interested in what she was learning.

"I'm sure you've noticed from that picture I showed you that I didn't have the prettiest smile growing up. Wasn't the best experience to have tiger fangs growing in a fox's jaw. Dad would joke about me growing tusks. Ended up wearing braces for about a year when they started coming in. Didn't make school all that enjoyable."

"I'd think your stripes would be the first thing they would notice." Alex gave a light chuckle to her assumption.

"Nah. Surprisingly enough, I never had much trouble with my mixed heritage as a child. Kids my age weren't poisoned by their parent's intolerance yet and didn't know any better. As if our innocence was the only thing making us think rationally. It wasn't until middle school that I started to realize my differences would make me more targeted. But through those experiences I was enlightened on my adolescence. How there was a long straight road we all walk on. Each year of our youth turning into a another long distance on said road, until we would eventually come to a crossroads. Two paths, that fork out in front of us, the choice is always made without our own knowing. Our mind secretly choosing for us and taking it. One road leading off to the simple blinders of ignorance, avoiding what you do not know and taking it with great insult when what you do know is challenged, allowing yourself to be molded by the flawed hands of those around you. The other was always one of common sense and natural intelligence, giving people a more open mind that analyzed the details around it to make true discoveries on the world around them. That crossroads would be where that childlike innocence is left behind, to jump into the world that will be changed on what path is chosen. Unfortunately for myself, I happened upon the road of common sense..."

"Unfortunately?" The idea of having intelligence over ignorance seemed like a no-brainer. Alex gave her a look as if to see if the question was a serious one.

"Whoever said it was better on the road less traveled was full of shit." There was a short silence after that, as Aeris pondered what he had said. "Enough about myself," Alex said, interrupting her train of thought, "tell me about you. I've hardly learned anything about my cat roommates, I'm interested."

The hybrid relaxed himself into the couch and faced Aeris, staring at her intently. A moment for pause came over the pink cat as the request struck her strangely. She didn't normally talk about her past, not that there was anything to hide, no one ever really cared.

"Well," Aeris began, thinking it over, the patient stare from Alex making her a little unnerved, "there isn't much to say about myself. I didn't live here originally, I grew up in a much smaller city further north. There it was just me and my parents. Went to school everyday, but I hated the freaks that I went with."

"Freaks..." Alex murmured, his eyes moving down to the stripes on his arm.

"No, that's not what I mean. To be honest, not many people went to the school besides humans. But... most of them were highly delusional, thinking of themselves as characters from video games. One kid was dressed like Link, always telling people that his parents were dead and he was raised in the forest by trees, even though his mother taught the class he was in. Someone was even Solid Snake, going as far as to jump into lockers and trash cans whenever the school bell would ring."

"Ha, sounds like my kind of school."

"Not really, not for me anyway. I was often picked on by a few of the other kids, either for my pink fur or they were just plain assholes. Since back then I wasn't..."

"Queen Bitchy McKickyerass?" Aeris nodded, kicking him once in the shin for the bitchy remark.

"Then one day someone new moved to town. A widower who came to Canada from England after her husband died, bringing with her a son who went to our school. That day I met Leo, he ended up showing me a simple trick to get one of my annoyances off my back. We became friends shortly after. After high school, we moved out here to get away from our parents, got an easy job and lived here ever since."

"Huh," Alex said, thinking about what he was told, then something hit him as he realized it. "Wait a minute, Leo's British?"

"Yup," Aeris answered. Taking a pause for thought, Alex replayed all the moments he had spent with the gray cat.

"I never would have guessed, there's not a lick of an accent on that guy."

"It's the same with his mother, but from what I understand, his father had enough British in him for all three."

"Wow, so you don't see your parents often then?"

"Every now and then, mostly just for the obligatory holidays, that's enough for me." Alex gave a slight frown to the response.

"Remember Aeris, you'll only ever have one pair of parents. Don't resent them now and learn to regret it later." The saddened look he gave made Aeris realize how tender of a subject it could be for him.

"Oh I'm sorry Alex, I didn't mean-"

"No no, it's... it's alright. Everyone feels like they need to distance themselves from their family every now and then. But I've learned along time ago, that the old saying is true, you never truly appreciate anything until it's gone."

"Do you ever miss them?" Aeris asked, knowing what was on his mind.

"All the time... But I've been able to accept that they're gone, dad always told me that dwelling on the past was never worth it. I try to remember how the experiences I had afterward turned me into what I am today..."

"Like when you learned to cook?" Alex showed a moment of surprise that she had remembered that.

"Yes actually. Well, not at first anyway. After the fire, I was left without anyone to help me or anywhere to go. Only being fifteen at the time, I wasn't prepared for any of it. Without any other option for me, I fell into an unsavory crowd, you know, the types your parents would tell you to stay away from. Bunch of thieves and liars the lot of them. But it was all I could do, I took their example and started stealing what I could to survive." The shock of it was showing plainly on Aeris' face, listening as their roommate explained. "Not being a very good pickpocket, I became more inclined to breaking into small homes and cars. Even though I hated myself for it, I became cocky, moving up to small businesses and the like. Weeks passed and I chose a small pizzeria as my next spot, a simple enough score for simple gain.

"I quickly ate those words the moment I entered the building, when I was staring into the barrel of a loaded shotgun. The owner only gave me one moment to explain myself before he would fire. So I did, I explained it all, about myself, my parents, and why I was doing it. It may have been more then he expected to hear, but he was the first person I really talked to since I was left on the streets and doing so just felt like something I needed to do. Afterward, when the gun was put away, the owner was more sympathetic then angry. Rather then kill me, or turn me into the cops, both of which he had all the right to do, he gave me a job and a bed at his pizza shop... So I worked there, did everything from making pizzas to cleaning the bathroom.

"The owner and I became friends somewhat, an old bulldog and war veteran who was enjoying his years after the army. What he showed me and what I learned on my own while working there helped me out when I needed it the most. Heh... I even found my love for games while there. There were these arcade machines in the shop, after we closed for the night, I would spend hours putting quarters in and playing. But I eventually left the shop and the city itself, trying to figure out what I was going to do. And after a few more years, I'm led here, staying in the company of two cats who both have a strong affinity for games." A small smile escaped him as he looked about the apartment. "One who is a little dim but very humorous to hang out with, and one who may have a bit of hostility issues but is equally as kindhearted when it matters."

"That's quite the story," Aeris remarked. Alex only smiled.

"Well, that's only some of it."

Aeris copied Alex's smile as they sat there in silence. It was broken by the creaking of the front door and Leo stepping through. Taking off his coat, a noticeable shiver came over his body.

"Man, it's cold as _balls_ out there." He rubbed his arms and held up a stack of envelops in his hands. "I got the mail."

"Oh," Aeris gasped, sounding excited, "did my response letter from B and T publishers come in?"

"Actually yes, I have it right here." Leo took the letter, which he had already opened, from his pocket and cleared his throat.

"Ms. Aeris.

Once again, we would like to express our pride in your writing attitude, resolve, and never-give-up outlook. It is after saying this that we must, with great sympathy, decline your submission to our company. And to add to our rejection, we would like to express that our own opinion is our own and will never change. So for now and to the end of time, we will always hold our stance on the type of stories you as a writer prefer to create and will never allow such a concept to defile our years of publishing purity.

On a more personal note, we must also _beg_ you to stop repeatedly sending in the seemingly endless streams of stories and story ideas, as they all pertain to the same subject, of which we have previously discussed.

Continue writing. Best wishes. _Please_ stay away.

B and T publishers." By the end, Leo was having trouble stifling a laugh, his voice breaking as he finished the last lines of the letter. Aeris on the other hand held a very different reaction, her eyes looking as though they were turning hollow and her mouth was dropped as far as it would go.

"What!" she shouted, tackling Leo into the ground and pinning him down as she read the letter with her own eyes. "Those bastards! How can they reject me again, that was the best one yet!"

"Maybe they aren't into stories that are just about two guys but- ack..." Leo was cut off as Aeris grabbed a hold of his throat to shut him up.

As it appeared the pink feline would strangle him, Alex stepped over to them to pull her off of him.

"Hey hey hey, calm down," he said, attempting to be a voice of reason. Aeris finally got off of Leo and began ranting to herself, though the two didn't pay her any attention.

"Thanks," Leo said, rubbing his throat, "also Alex, there's a letter here for you too." He held out another envelop to the hybrid, Alex could see his name written on the front.

Aeris had gone silent as soon as she heard it, so had Alex. Locking onto the rectangular paper, Alex took the letter and examined it, his look of shocked confusion going unchanged.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh god damn. Well chapter 6 has turned out to be another one of those 'longer then I expected' chapters. Still don't know if these long chapters are a good thing or not... Ah well, it's done and done. At least happy for that.**

**But yeah, now Alex is officially moved into the apartment.**

_**Only took six chapters...**_

**Quiet you! … Ignore him. Anyway... I feel as if this story isn't going very far or very fast. I mean there's not even much story yet, mostly backstory and a few jokes... BUT that is hopefully soon to change in the next chapter and those following. So stay tuned and we will see what happens next.**

**And Merry Thanksgiving to everyone, enjoy your feasting with family and/or friends... I have to work... (anger face) **


	7. Flight of Fearcy

**Chapter 7: Flight of Fear-cy **

"How do you have mail?" Aeris asked, eying the letter Alex had received in the mail. The look on the hybrid's face matched her own, stricken with surprise that something would come for him.

"Excellent question," Alex said, "I set it up so where my mail would be sent with yours... But that was only for my last paycheck and a magazine subscription I got from work. Says it's from VG-con Inc..." He opened the envelope up and found a small, but very colorful, piece of paper.

"What does it say?" Leo asked, trying to get behind him to look over his shoulder. Alex handed him the envelop to keep him busy while he looked at the paper.

"To IronCross... Congratulations on your victory in our previous tournament... We are pleased to invite you to our world tournament held in... New York City. Other challengers from across the world will face each other for an even larger prize then the previous... Enclosed is your special V.I.P. badge that will gain your entry. We hope for your appearance and wish you luck in the coming tournament..." Leo pulled out a laminated badge with Alex's name on it, a long string attached to be worn around the neck. "Huh... I hate junk mail," Alex said in an agitated tone, taking the envelope and badge from Leo and tossing them into the trash.

"Wait a second," Aeris said, grabbing the discarded items, "what is wrong with you? Invited to a big tournament and you just throw it away?" Alex crossed his arms and gained a hostile stance about him.

"There's no way in hell I'm going back to New York just for a damn gaming tournament."

"Back?" Aeris asked questioningly. Alex gave a heavy sigh.

"When I left my home city, I went up north to try and find somewhere I could live and build a life for myself. New York was a likely place, with it's size, I doubted that a hybrid would go noticed. But I absolutely loathe that place, back home was terrible, but there it was just something else. I was used to assholes just ignoring me on the streets, acting like you never existed as they walked by. But oh no, the New Yorkers seem to enjoy going out of their way to piss you off. Lived there for about eight months before I went back... So in other words, I am _not_ going back to that cesspit."

"Oh you can't let a few bad experiences ruin a place for ya," Leo said.

"Yeah right, a few is an understatement Leo."

"We haven't gone on a vacation in way too long of a time," Aeris said, looking over to Leo who was nodding his head. "Things have gotten boring around here, and a little relaxation in someplace new will be a wonderful remedy." Alex wasn't about to break easily though.

"No no no, a thousand times no," he said. "I will not subject myself to this kind of torture."

"Just think about it," Leo said, trying to give the puppy dog cuteness routine, though it didn't work well considering he was a cat.

"Has the meaning of no changed between countries? Because I think no isn't getting through to you." His tail fidgeted side to side, matching the growing agitation he had.

"After all we've done for you," Aeris said, an idea coming on, "rescuing you from the unforgiving streets. No home, no job, allowing your stay in our humble abode. Where's the thanks..." Alex's jaw almost went unhinged as it dropped.

"Now wait a second, you can't jus-"

"Wouldn't you say so Leo?" The gray cat slowly nodded his head.

"Yes, how ungrateful..."

"Excuse me?" Alex blurted out. "You practically strong-armed me into staying here!" Aeris crossed her arms, showing a slight smirk.

"I don't think anyone saw it that way."

"By anyone you mean you two..."

"No, I just mean anyone." A set of white fangs showed as Alex clenched his teeth in anger.

"All right fine! We'll go to the Big Apple, but this is it, all favors are squared." Aeris' devious smirk continued as she knew she had won.

"Perfect," the pink cat said, taking the letter that was received and looked through it. "Says here that the tournament starts in three days, so we can get everything ready tomorrow and leave the next day."

"Woohoo, vacation to the city of lights," Leo yelled enthusiastically.

"That's city that never sleeps," Alex growled, still showing his dislike to their plans.

* * *

><p>The next day, the three spent their time setting their trip. Aeris and Leo spent their time going to different stores, acquiring a few essentials for their luggage. Alex had went off on his own, saying there were a few things he needed, as well as getting tickets for the plane they were going to take.<p>

After awhile, the two cats returned to their apartment. Though Alex was still gone, Aeris took the time to find a good hotel on her computer, while Leo decided on what he was bringing.

"Where is he," Aeris said, looking up at the clock to see how many hours had passed.

"Maybe it takes a while to get tickets?" Leo suggested.

"Shouldn't take this long..." Leo just shrugged it off.

"Might just be taking his time, he really didn't seem to want to go."

"That's just it," Aeris muttered. "He seems to distance himself from the reasons, like he's trying to hide something."

"Maybe he is," Leo didn't seem all too concerned about it, "but that's his business. If it's important, I'm sure he'll tell us." The front door then opened, their crossbred roommate walked in, holding up a pair of plane tickets.

"Alright, plane's all set to go, tomorrow we can leave and be on our way... to America..." Alex sighed heavily as he finished, handing the two cats their tickets. "Get to bed early tonight, be bright eyed and bushy tailed, we'll be leaving for the airport at about eight."

"That early?" Leo whined, not liking the sound of it.

"Why that early?" Aeris asked. "The plane doesn't leave until twelve."

"It's for the best, I'd rather not get into detail as I hope we won't have to deal with it. Just trust me on this." Both cats looked at the clock with distaste, having to get up so early wasn't their idea of starting off a relaxing vacation.

* * *

><p>The morning was horrendous for the two cats.<p>

Aeris slowly crawled out of bed, her limbs fighting against her the entire time. A ringing in her ears continued even after she slammed a fist on her clock to shut it off, its blinking green light reading 6:30. As sluggishly as possible, the pink feline staggered off toward the bathroom, grabbing the pile of clothes she had set up the night before.

The water was turned to icy cold as Aeris stepped into the shower. With the instant freezing sensation, the drowsiness was extinguished slightly. After cleaning herself thoroughly, she stepped out of the shower, dried off, and put on her clothes. Getting ready to do her hair, she was stopped by a knock at the door.

"You done yet?" a voice asked through a yawn. Aeris could tell Leo's voice anywhere, even when butchered by sleep deprivation. She sighed to herself before leaving the bathroom, allowing her gray furred friend to take his own shower, forcing her to use the mirror in the living room to get her hair the way she liked it.

After her hair was finished, Aeris made a pot of coffee for the three of them. It was twenty till eight by the time Aeris was resting at the kitchen table, a mug of coffee in hand.

Leo then made his appearance, his bag thrown over his shoulder. The tired cat's eyes were shut as he made his way to the kitchen, dragging his feet across the ground with his tail lightly grazing the carpet with them. Paying Aeris little mind, Leo made it to the coffee maker and poured himself a cup. Taking a moment to sniff the hot black liquid, Leo splashed the contents into his face.

"Ahhhh!" he screamed as the coffee soaked his facial fur, steam rising from his face. A moment after his screams died down, he grabbed a rag and wiped his face clean. "Much better," he said, sounding more awake then before. Aeris could only manage to look down at the table and shake her head.

"Good morning all," Alex said, entering the kitchen and getting his own coffee.

"Did you _just_ now get up?" Aeris asked, hardly able to believe it. Judging by how he looked, it wasn't unlikely. Bare chested, he only wore his pants as he slept without a shirt. Even his hair was a complete mess, showing where he had slept on it that night.

"Yeah," he said as he took a drink. Aeris looked at the clock again, her face turning into a rage filled look.

"What the hell! You said we were leaving at eight, it's ten till and you haven't even started getting ready! I had to get up at six thirty!" The hybrid gave her an alarmed expression, shocked at the sudden outburst.

"Just calm down," he said, holding his hands up as he prepared for a sudden punch. "We are leaving at eight, you needn't worry about that. It doesn't take me very long to get myself cleaned up." Finishing his last gulp of coffee, Alex went back to his room for a minute, returning with a shirt on and his bag in hand. Though he was dressed, that didn't fix the mess on his head, taking one look in the mirror showed that. So he re-entered the kitchen and dunk his head in the sink. Having turned on the faucet, he drenched his head in water. Afterward, he took a fresh hand towel and ran his hair through it. When he was done, he appeared as cleaned as any other day they saw him.

"You're not even going to shower?" Aeris asked, in a slightly disgusted voice.

"Don't need to, I took one last night before bed. Saves a nice bit of time in the morning." He smiled as he looked at the clock, having just a minute away from eight. "Looks like we are right on time as well."

They left the apartment and hailed a cab, taking it straight to the airport.

The large setting was always a sight to behold. The main building was always a bustle of people, either entering to leave or exiting to stay, cars coming and going to drop off or pick up. High fences walled off so much of it, keeping wanderers away from the runways and restricted sections. A plane took off the moment the taxi stopped to let the three out, soaring into the sky to defy gravity like the hundreds that came before it.

"Ugh," Leo groaned as he stepped out of the car, "why was it we came here so early?"

"Patience," Alex answered, making his way to the building.

They made it inside to be confronted with the rising voices of hundreds of others, getting ready to board their plane or wanting to leave. Voices of anger and frustration dominated over the rest, making the feeling of being in the most stressful form of public transport all the noticeable.

Going into the security check line, they watched as people placed their bags on conveyer belts and stepped through the large x-ray machines. Others were pulled away from the line so they could be given the alternative.

Making it through the metal detectors, they slowly made their way to the x-ray machines. Leo looked at them with confusion.

"What are those big things for?" he asked, not understanding what they were.

"They scan your body to show you on a monitor that someone watches and checks for anything unusual on your person." Alex said, gaining a rhythm to their march toward the machine.

"Yeah, they get a nice shot of your naked body for someone to look at," Aeris said, showing a sinister smirk as Leo's eyes widened.

"What! I don't want anyone taking naked pictures of me, that's how famous people get into trouble." Alex wanted to smack himself for what he was hearing, though thinking on the place he currently was, he thought better of it. Rather, he let out an annoyed sigh while giving Aeris a slight glare.

"It's not exactly like that," he said, trying to calm the cat, "and there's an alternate method you can take when it's your turn." Leo nodded his head in acceptance and they made it to the machine.

Aeris stepped through first, dropping her bag and going through. Alex came right after, not missing a step or doing anything any different then anyone else.

A woman stood at a monitor on the other side, processing people in even further. Her eyes caught Alex and stared at him. They followed down toward his mid-section, peering more at the two appendages at the sides. Then her eyes traveled the length of Alex's bushy tail.

"Uh, sir," the woman said, typing away at her computer. Alex stopped to see what she wanted. "You have been randomly... chosen for additional security screening. I'm going to have to ask you to step out of the line and proceed with the guard." Alex gave the woman a disdainful look. But rather then go against his better judgment and say something, he cooperatively left the line with the guard that presented himself. All throughout the little scene, Aeris was watching with her mouth open in shock.

It then came to Leo's turn through the machine. But rather then take the usual path, he opted for the alternative he was told of. The gray cat was led off to the side while he was told to stand still.

"Uh... what are you going to do?" he asked, becoming nervous.

"Just going to have to frisk you by hand," the man he was with replied. The man patted Leo down, moving over his arms, his sides, legs and pockets. Eventually the man made it to Leo's inner thighs, going through the motions as he made his way further upward toward the crotch.

"Oh my god! Help! Rape!" Leo shouted as he was being checked. Aeris watched on as her friend freaked out, causing the guards' attention. After being tackled by three of the security, Leo was finally subdued. Smacking her hand against her forehead, Aeris walked off to try and help Leo get out of the situation he was getting himself into.

Time passed and the rest of the airport when on as it usually would. Eventually though, the three made their way back to one another. Aeris looked up at the clock to check the time, a quarter till twelve it said.

"How did you know..." she tried saying to Alex, who only showed a continued look of contempt.

"I didn't _know_ anything," he said, "just assumed that either one of two things were bound to happen to cost us hours. Of course, egg on my face, _both_ things happen to occur. By the way, are you alright Leo?"

"I... feel violated..." Leo muttered, Alex and Aeris groaned to themselves while they turned toward the entrances to where people boarded their planes.

"Come on, lets get going," Alex said, leading the way.

* * *

><p>After moving through the crowds of others taking the same flight they were, Aeris, Leo and Alex looked for their seats on the plane.<p>

Stopping at the spot he had, Alex looked to see he had a window seat.

"Hey Aeris," he said, the pink cat following just behind him, waiting for him to take his seat so she could take hers. "Would you mind taking the window?" The question seemed odd to her but she accepted, thinking there was no harm in it.

Leo was given a seat right next to them on the center row, gladly taking his seat to rest after all he had been through. Aeris and Alex took their seats as well, Alex in particular gave a long breath after he was settled in, though it didn't sound like it was of relief.

Aeris looked out the window to see the different carts and vehicles moving about. After everyone was settled in and the attendants went through the usual routine, the plane fully started up and began takeoff.

Aeris noticed Alex's breathing start to increase, taking rapid breaths as he gave the front of the plane a good thousand yard stare.

"Are you okay?" she asked, giving him a tap on the shoulder to gain his attention. The hybrid jerked back at her touch in a startled jolt. "Jesus, what's the matter?"

"N-nothing, nothing at all," he said through clenched teeth. An amused smile crossed the pink cat as she realized what was going on.

"Alex... you're afraid of flying aren't you."

"Am I," he said in an overly sarcastic tone. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a pack of gum. It was brand new, the wrapping still fresh on it. Not even bothering, Alex took a bite out of the package, taking off half of it and chewing both the gum and paper.

"What's wrong with flying?" Leo asked, noticing what had happened. Alex held out his arm, as if to make a point.

"If I was meant to fly, I'd have feathers."

"Or a second tail," Leo said with a laugh.

"Don't start with me Leo," Alex retorted, pointing a finger at the gray feline as threateningly as possible.

"There's nothing to be ashamed of," Aeris said, trying to make him feel better, "everyone's afraid of something. I personally hate thunder." Alex turned to her, his heavy breathing stopping for a moment.

"Well that's just childish." Aeris' gained both a look of surprise and anger at the comment.

"Childish! You're the one acting like a little girl." The hybrid gave her a shaky chuckle in response.

"It's completely rational to have a phobia of flying, easy thing to understand. Thunder? What is it but a loud noise, nothing more then a wave of sound too weak to follow it's bright brother along in the storm. Rather pathetic concept if you ask me, even more pathetic to be afraid of such a thing...

"Now- now flying... ohhhhh that's a different matter entirely. Even if it can fly, everything must fall at some point, gravity is a _bitch_ like that. And falling, that's death right there. Take this plane for example, just a man-made contraption to go against our natural laws. It's not full proof, it doesn't offer complete safety. It can fail, fall even, and doing so is almost guaranteed death. Anything falling at this height is going to _die_."

"Some people survive plane crashes," Aeris said, reassuring him, though it didn't do much of anything.

"Heh, you believe what you want." The pink cat gave up, knowing she wouldn't get to him.

The rest of the flight was as uneventful as it should be. Aeris had a book she decided to take with her, reading the pages to pass the time, though hardly able to immerse herself in it due to Alex's unsettling attitude. Staring off at nothing, the hybrid just gnawed on the mixture of gum and wrappings. With his claws continuously trying to dig into the arm rests, subtle twitches occurred every so often to show his continuing fear. Leo listened to music on his Ipod, nodding his head in rhythm to the changing beats, occasionally getting a bag of peanuts to snack on.

After an almost endless amount of time, the flight ended, the plane landing to a smooth stop at the airport. Everyone got up, none faster then Alex, being eager to get off of the flying deathtrap as fast as possible.

When they had all left the plane, they grabbed their luggage made it out of the airport to gaze upon the city before them. With towering skyscrapers, loud traffic flow, and crowded streets, it certainly felt like America. And though Alex was overjoyed to finally be on solid ground, that happiness was stunted by the knowledge of where he was.

"Well," he said, showing little enthusiasm, "welcome to New York City."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So... yeah... chapters an all that good stuff... Yeah, it seemed to take a while to get this thing up. It's just been a pain in the ass to work on it for me and moments where I either get sidetracked or lost interest, blah blah (insert whiny excuses here) **

**But I really don't think I'm doing poorly when compared to quality, update speed, and quantity. Chapters seem to be a good size, and there aren't EXTREMELY large gaps between updates like you can see with some fics. Though I hate to admit it, I also had a bit of a block with the beginning of the chapter, with deciding on how Alex would eventually relent to going to a place he hates. Eventually I figured an attempt at a guilt trip, and Aeris subtly breaking the fourth wall would work. (don't worry if you don't catch it, I hardly ever do)**

**That's something I've thought of too, I mean Aeris is pink after all, and as we all know pink means it can break the fourth wall... Kind of like how red makes things go faster, pink gives you fourth wall breaking abilities... Now I just need a side project fanfic where Aeris totally goes all Sweeney Todd on Leo and cooks him up into a new game system... I think I'll call it... X-Bakes...**

_**Wait...what...the fuck...**_

**Nothing! Ignore the insane ramblings of an ailing, sleep deprived fanfic writer. **

**Also, so I get no bad blood in this. I'm not bashing New Yorkers or anything in this chapter. Like any city though, it has it's bad people and bad places. And Alex... well he's one to see the bad over the good, plus he probably had a shitty time there anyway... **

**So next chapter we will see the VG cats off in the exciting lands of America and the Big Apple.**


	8. Aqua Antics

**Chapter 8: Aqua Antics**

The three decided to check in to their hotel, finding a taxi, they made their way across the city. So many different sights and sounds came by through the windows of the cab. Similar experiences were met that Aeris and Leo were used to, having lived in Toronto for so long.

Their trip lasted a while, the hotel being set on the other side of New York.

"Think you could have picked a closer location to stay?" Alex asked Aeris in a angered tone. The hybrid was heavily tensed, obviously due to the anxiety the flight over gave, as well as being in a city he disliked so.

"Well it is closest to where your tournament is being held," Aeris replied, trying not to let Alex's attitude effect her.

After some time of them staring out the windows to see the towering buildings, the skyscrapers began to shrink as they found a large river outside their window. Soon after, Aeris gazed out and saw one landmark she had been waiting to see. The large monument sitting high up on it's small island home, holding up high a torch that was meant as a beacon, the Statue of Liberty.

"Look Leo," she said, pointing out to it.

"Whoa," the gray cat said, in a tone of awe. Alex let out a long exhale of air while rolling his eyes.

"Yeah," he said, "nothing says 'Welcome to American democracy' like a shrine of a roman deity dressed as royalty." The two cats looked at their friend with astonishment.

"Wow," Aeris said, "how snide."

"What ever happened to patriotism?" Leo asked. Giving a grunt first, Alex crossed his arms.

"Patriotism is just another word for fanaticism. Something that I try to avoid at all costs. Besides, I'm Canadian now... eh." The two cats didn't think on the subject for very long, having realized a thick feeling of resentment from the hybrid.

Silence had fallen into the cab, the three didn't talk as the cab drove through the streets of New York. That didn't mean things were quiet however. Loud sounds of traffic and people filled the air around them, showing a city alive with the usual hustle and bustle.

Finally, the taxi slowed and came to a stop, their chosen hotel looming over them.

"Looks fancy," Leo said, stepping out of the cab.

"Looks expensive," Alex groaned.

"Don't bitch," Aeris said, being the last one out of the car, "we are all chipping in to pay for it." There was a loud sound coming from inside the cab, like someone clearing their throat. Aeris' attention was caught and she noticed the cab driver with his hand outstretched.

"My fare, miss," he said, flexing his fingers to indicate what he wanted further. Finding the necessary amount, she handed it to the driver. As soon as the money exchanged hands, the driver took off without another word with amazing speed. Aeris jumped back as the back tire nearly took her foot.

"Son of a bitch!" she shouted angrily, shaking a fist in the direction the cab had gone. "Bastard almost clipped me." Leo remained silent, not wanting to set her off in her pissed moments. Alex on the other hand gave a nod of the head.

"Mmhmm, like I said, all assholes in this city." Uttering a slight growl, Aeris pushed him out of the way and entered the hotel.

* * *

><p>"Welcome," the clerk at the main desk greeted as the three approached. The interior of the lobby was certainly something. Of course it was no five star resort, it still had a ritzy charm that radiated with every piece of the décor.<p>

"We are checking in to our room," Aeris said, giving her information to the clerk so he could confirm their stay.

"Ah yes, we are happy to have your company. I am sure after such a long trip from... Canada... you would be in need of some relaxation." The clerk snapped his fingers toward a young man who was stood idle at one end of the room. His attire hinted to his employ as a bellhop. "Jeremy, would you be so kind as to take our guests' luggage to their room." He handed a keycard to the bellhop, who accepted it and made for their bags. "You will be staying on floor three in room thirteen." He handed them three keycards to allow themselves entrance to their room.

"Anything to do around here?" Alex asked, eying his card.

"We have an exquisite dining hall that serves breakfast, lunch and dinner. As well as a very large pool area for your swimming pleasure." Leo playfully grabbed Aeris and Alex's shoulders as he looked between the both of them.

"Yeah," he said excitedly, "lets take a swim."

"Good idea, for once," Aeris replied, nodding her head. They both stopped the bellhop before he got too far away. Digging into their bags, Aeris pulled out a much smaller bag while Leo took out a blue pair of trunks and towel he had had the foresight to pack.

"I don't have anything for swimming," Alex said with a frown, though the idea never occurred to him as he never used a public swimming pool anymore, due to reasons he wasn't going to mention.

"No matter," the clerk said, overhearing the predicament, "we have a fine store that sells many things a guest may need when vacationing." He motioned off to a set of doors, a sign that said 'shop' hung above them.

Giving off a subtle sigh, Alex walked into the store to find what he needed.

* * *

><p>The pool was a great size, an even larger room was used to hold it. Two diving boards stood up at the deepest end of the pool, one high and one low. Long chairs to lie on were set up around the pool for people to relax out of the waters.<p>

Leo and Alex made it out of their changing rooms first, Leo in his dark blue trunks while Alex's had a tropical Hawaiian scheme to it.

"Heh, nice swimwear," Leo said, his lip quivering as he suppressed a laugh.

"It was all they had," Alex muttered, his teeth clenched.

"Waiting for me were you?" Aeris walked out from the girls changing room, wearing a bikini colored in a shade of dark purple.

"Uh..." Alex tried saying, but the hybrid quickly found himself staring. After a elbow nudge from Leo, he was snapped back. "We were just about to go in," he muttered quickly, turning on his heel and jumping into the pool, Leo was quick to follow.

Aeris giggled to herself and walked toward were the chairs were set up. Finding an empty one, she relaxed herself on top of it and reached into the bag she had brought with her. She retrieved the book she had packed and began reading it.

The ceiling of the pool area was made entirely of glass, the magnificent design allowed the sunlight to be cast down on top of them. Even with the time, the sun wasn't set just yet, allowing the light to come through. Aeris was at least grateful that there was still some warmth compared to the chilling weather back home.

Even with the constant sounds of people splashing and moving about in the water, the atmosphere couldn't be more relaxing for the pink feline. Curiosity soon struck her however as she looked up from the page she was on to check on the boys.

Leo and Alex were just then getting on the diving boards, climbing up the ladders to reach the full height. Aeris noticed the black line across Alex's neck, knowing that it was his collar, she was still somewhat surprised he still wore it even in the pool, then again she's never seen him without it. Something else she noticed was how strange he was acting. As he moved about, he appeared uneasy and uncomfortable, almost squeamish as positioned himself on the edge of the diving board.

Aeris thought on it, but it didn't take long for the conclusion to show itself. With the trunks being the only thing he wore, the hybrid's stripes were completely exposed for anyone to see. She was sure he wasn't used to showing himself off so much. Considering the fact he hid himself within his coat whenever he could, she could see a reason for the anxiety.

As her gaze shifted about the pool, she noticed some of the other attendants looking toward Alex. Some just stared at him, as if they had never seen anything like him before. Others whispered to themselves, motioning toward him for their friends to notice. There were some who merely looked towards him with angry glares, like he had just done something wrong.

Leo and Alex then jumped off of their boards and splashed into the water. After their heads bobbed up for air, they looked in Aeris' direction and swam over.

"Come on Aeris," Leo said, beckoning her, "the water's fine."

"I'm perfectly comfortable right here," she responded, looking back down at her book.

"Aw," Alex moaned, "what's the point of going to a pool if you're not going to swim in it."

"Maybe later." Alex and Leo began whispering to one another, sharing smirks and chuckles as they decided upon something.

Leaving Aeris to her reading, they climbed out of the pool and went back to the diving boards. After climbing the ladders once again, they didn't move straight to the very edge this time. They both stayed at the very back and looked at one another. After a nod was given to both of them, they ran both ran across their diving boards and jumped as soon as they hit the very tip. In mid-air, they bent their knees to their chest to form a cannonball. When it was time for them to land, they did so in the very spot they wanted, right next to Aeris.

With both of their landings combined, the splash created exploded upward. The water showered down on the pink cat and soaked her. Aeris lowered her soggy book to, her eyes were ablaze with anger as she stared at Leo and Alex, both still treading water in front of her and laughing to themselves.

"That's it!" Aeris shouted, slamming the moist book down. "You're both dead!" She pounced into the pool after them, crashing into them both and forcing them under.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe this," Aeris said, hand held over her face in shame as they walked down the hall of the third floor, "banned from the pool, this is so embarrassing."<p>

"Well you _did _try to drown us," Alex replied running his towel through his hair as he counted out the room numbers. "I'm more surprised by the fact they didn't kick us out of the hotel."

"Anyone else taste something odd," Leo said, jerking his head to the side in an attempt to get the water out of his ears.

"Yeah," Alex muttered smacking his lips, "I think that pool had more chemicals then it did water. I can practically smell the chlorine in our fur." The pink cat stopped at their closest door.

"Here's our room," Aeris said, finding the door with a thirteen on it. She inserted her card and the red light next to the knob went from red to green, showing that it had been unlocked.

"Finally," Leo said, exhaustion in his voice, "can't wait to take a rest in a nice soft... what?" They entered the room and were all surprised by what they saw. Though nothing out of the ordinary in terms of furnishings that would be expected. However there was one problem with it, there were only two beds.

"I thought you got a three bed room," Alex said, looking at Aeris who was as bewildered as the others.

"I... I thought I did." They found their bags neatly placed in the room, they got themselves dressed for sleep and stood before the only two beds.

"So how are we going to do this?" Leo asked.

"I've got an idea," Aeris said, giving a sinister smile.

Having fully prepared himself, Alex lied down on the bed, feeling the slight sink of the other side as his bunk mate was already resting.

"Any part of you touches me, you'll lose it," he grumbled. Leo made a sarcastic grunt as he inched himself as close to the bed's edge as possible.

"You just remember to keep on _your_ side," the gray cat murmured. Aeris kept a large smile going as she climbed into her own bed.

"Don't mind me boys," she said lightly laughing to herself. "You just enjoy each others company, I could always use new material for my work." The hybrid suddenly felt a cold chill run down his spine.

"_Okay_," Alex yelled, jumping out of the bed, "to hell with this. I'll sleep on the damn floor." Throwing his pillow to the ground, he collapsed himself onto the hard floor, trying vainly to make himself comfortable.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay chapter eight is done. It's a bit shorter then normal, but I figured this would be a good stopping point for the next chapter. **

**But I am wondering how I'm doing when compared to reader interest and chapter length. Really, I could have made this chapter longer. But as I said, personally I thought of this as a good place to end the chapter. So if any of you are leaving a review, let me know of what your thoughts are. As I don't know what the opinions are for the VG cats fic readers, say how long a good chapter is in your book, or if it even matters in terms of length. So let me know, maybe it will help me develop how the later chapters will be set up, as to avoid making chapters seem too small and uninteresting or too large and easy to loose what interest there is.**

**I'm also pretty happy now since I've lost most of what's been bothering me for the past two weeks. Nose is cleared up and cough's gone. Hell, even the pain in my side that's been making me lose sleep has gone away. Hopefully I'll be able to work on chapters at a better pace now.**


	9. Stay Gold Foxy Boy

**Chapter 9: Stay Gold Foxy Boy**

Alex awoke to find the hotel room as silent as the grave. Two unmoving lumps on the beds made for Leo and Aeris, still fast asleep.

Loud pops cracked into the hybrid's joints as he stretched his body. The night wasn't very good to him, having slept on the hard wood floor, he knew his spine would pay him back for it sooner or later. After he was finished, Alex remembered the reason he had woken up. Heading toward the bathroom, he prepared to answer the morning's call.

As he washed his hands, there was a woozy feeling felt in the pit of Alex's stomach. A shuddering sense of foreboding that he couldn't shake off. Ignoring it, he splashed his face with water and wiped himself dry. Looking up, he looked at himself clearly in the bathroom mirror.

Both Leo and Aeris were then startled out of bed as they heard horrified screams coming from the bathroom.

"What's going on," Leo said, flailing frantically around as his covers were draped over his head, blinding his disoriented state. Alex then ran out into the room, his eyes bulged in shock. After pulling the covers off of him, Leo matched Aeris' gaze and looked at their crossbred friend, and a much more lighter coloring of his fur.

Rather then sporting his red fur, Alex's hairs were now a faded blonde, only small blotches on his body still retaining a hint of the original red tint. As soon as Leo's mind became fully aware of the sight his lips quivered upward as he burst into a fit of laughter. Gasping for breath, Leo clutched at his stomach and fell backward, kicking his feet into the air as his amusement continued.

"You-you really _do_ need a second tail now, haha," the cat managed to say through his teary-eyed episode. Even Aeris was having trouble keeping a straight face.

"This isn't funny," Alex growled, but it didn't stop Leo's joy.

"How did this happen?" Aeris asked, finding her composure.

"Ugh," the hybrid groaned, "that damn pool water. I knew they had over done it with those chemicals, this is exactly what happened last time!"

"Last time? Then you know how to fix it then, no problem." Aeris made a quick check of her own fur, just to be sure. Alex looked up at the clock and gained an even more panicked and angry reaction.

"Yes, but it'll take a long bath... and the tournament starts in thirty minutes! Son of a bitch!" he shouted, hurriedly throwing a shirt on and grabbing his coat before bolting out of the room. Three things were left behind however, his friends as well as the badge he need to get into the tournament.

Grabbing it, Aeris and Leo were quick in getting themselves ready and chasing after the running crossbreed.

Catching up to him outside the hotel, they were just fast enough to get into the taxi he had stopped. After a frantic demand of their destination, and an odd look from the cab driver to Alex, they were off. It took twenty minutes to make it to were the tournament was being held, a large convention center being its location, much like it was back home.

Going into the building, Alex made sure to keep his coat collar as high up to him as possible.

* * *

><p>The inside of the tournament was much like it was in Canada, though on a slightly larger scale. Different booths stood up that sold merchandise or just gave viewings into upcoming games, there wasn't much they hadn't seen already so they easily ignored it all.<p>

Thankfully to Alex, the area wasn't as lit well enough to see his yellowed fur clearly, most of the lights coming from the electric signs and other bobbles that dotted the large building.

After a moment of looking around, Aeris and Leo found were they could go to spectate the tournament, filing in with others who had come for the same reason. Alex had gone off to get ready, still in a sour mood from recent events.

"Helloooooo everyone," an announcer said, cameras pointed toward him and his partner as they watched over what was going on. "It's me, your favorite gaming commentator, Steve Bobsen. I'm joined by the equally beloved commentator, Mitchy Fillmore." The other commentator made a small wave to the camera before raising up his own mic.

"Yes and we are both very happy to be here at the seventh VG-con gaming tournament. We have contestants from around the world here to compete against one another. And it looks like they are coming on stage now." Over twenty people stepped onto the main stage. All of different species and ranging in different ages. Leo and Aeris spotted Alex in the midst, with the heavy lights beaming down on the stage, it gave his coat a white shine, presenting his new color brightly.

"So many gamers ready and waiting to prove their worth," Steve the announcer said, looking over the contestants. "Each earning their chance through simpler tournaments held in their regions. Some names you may recognize. Our hometown hero, Aventhian, known all across the servers of PC gamers for his tactical skills in RTSs. Arrowcap11, possibly the greatest shooter in the digital world. And a few of the best names on the PlayStation servers, Johny316, DuelXmax, Sweetoothone, IronCross... Hold on..." The announcer motioned for his partner to look down, noticing Alex.

"Huh, it would seem the Canadian contestant, IronCross, is sporting a new fur color for the event," Mitchy said to the audiences, sounding somewhat perplexed.

"Yes, a yellow... blonde shade. Perhaps... being a fox, he is representing a widely known sidekick in gaming."

"Now that would be one heck of a coincidence Steve. As, in fact, the game our competitors are playing is the upcoming Sonic Fighters game. A redo of the classic Sonic the Fighters, now with so many more levels and characters that avid fans will remember. One can only guess at what character IronCross will try to play."

The competition then started. It was set up like a usual fighting tournament, with brackets pitting them together two at a time. The best three out of five knockouts would decide the winner and move on to the next round. With each new bracket, the winners made it that much closer to the end where it would be the two best fighters in their own match to decide the winner of the tournament.

Two consoles were hooked up to the stage's massive TV giving the audiences a clear picture. The two contestants fighting would go against each other and then make way for the next two to take their match. All the while, the Steve and Mitchy played commentary to provide more flavor to the series of grunts and moans that came from the game.

To Aeris, the entire tournament was a dull and drawn out process. The spectators around her, even Leo, seemed to share a completely opposite feeling however. Eyes were glued to the screen with wonder as the current gamers went at it, using their characters special moves to turn their green health bar into a red one. But the pink cat hat an overwhelming hatred for all fighting games, seeing them as something only a degenerate gamer would enjoy.

But even the competitors seemed to get into it, showing pride when they brought their opponent to their knees for a finishing move. Though being a game designed for audiences of all ages, nothing worthwhile like eviscerations or dismemberments occurred.

Eventually, the tournament ended and the winner was praised all around by the many spectators, a young panda girl who dominated the entire tournament, hardly losing a sliver of health all throughout.

"There it is folks," Steve shouted as the winner was handed her prize, "BlightGirlP, winner of the seventh VG-con tournament and most certainly one of the greatest gamer girls I've ever seen!"

"Trouncing the competition like that, I'd say she _is_ the greatest!" The tournament then came to a close. With the main event having passed, many people began filing out of the center.

Among the crowed, the two cats were able to locate a disheartened hybrid. Seeing his friends, Alex gave off a thick groan.

"Ugh, fourteenth place," he said, moaning up at the ceiling.

"It's... not that bad," Leo said, not sounding convincing in the slightest.

"Yeah, maybe out of a hundred," Alex grunted, sounding more agitated now. "It just _had_ to be a damn fighting game. Out of any other genre, a god damn fighting game!" Leo laughed at him for a moment, gaining a glare.

"Well that's something you've got in common with Aeris." Alex looked at the pink feline questioningly, who merely shrugged.

"Yup, hate them too, and most anyone who actually enjoys them."

"Just because you're bad at them," Leo said. A fiery glare came from Aeris in response, the gray cat flinched slightly and wisely kept his mouth shut.

"Let's go," Alex grumbled, turning toward the exit, "I need to try and wash this crap out of my fur."

* * *

><p>Making it back to the hotel, Aeris and Leo sat and watched the television in the room while Alex spent the next hour and a half in the shower. Stepping out of the bathroom, the hybrid showed his new look, even after the long scrubbing session, much of his fur was still skewed in color. Most of the red that came back was from his arms and sides, with small patches of faded yellow remaining in it. But much of the fur on his face still had a yellow tint to it, almost appearing white in the right strikes of light.<p>

"I think you just made yourself look worse," Leo commented.

"Shut it," Alex snapped back. He collapsed onto the bed and let out a sigh as he stared up at the ceiling. "Can we go home now," he whined.

"We still have another two days before our flight home," Aeris said, reading a pamphlet she had taken from the front desk.

"Ugh," he groaned loudly. "Whatever... So, we going to actually do anything or just sit here."

"You tell us, you've lived here before," Leo muttered, lying upside down on the bed as he watched the TV.

"Bah, I don't know, I never really cared for anything around here." Silence then fell in the room, except for the TV Leo still watched. But then it was broken by an odd sound. It came in Aeris' direction and after it came once again, the two boys realized it was her stomach growling.

"Oh..." she said, looking embarrassed, "I suppose it _has_ been a long day." And she was right, the tournament had taken longer then they had anticipated, even for occurring in the morning. None of them had even eaten anything all day due to it.

"Well there we have it," Alex said, rolling out of the bed to stand. "Might as well get a bite to eat, I know of a good pizza place not too far that will be perfect."

"Then it's settled," Aeris said, grabbing her jacket and pushing Leo off of the bed to get him moving.

* * *

><p>Going down the sidewalk, Aeris, Leo and Alex found a street the hybrid was familiar with, the two cats listened as Alex pointed out certain places he could remember from his previous time there.<p>

"So much has changed since I've last been here," he murmured, his eyes moving all about he buildings. Some he noticed were completely changed, or were dilapidated to the point they were unrecognizable.

"Things can change in a few years," Aeris said with a shrug.

"I suppose..." Leo then stopped, causing the other two to follow suit and see what caught his eye.

"What's this place?" he asked, starring up at a building with bright neon signs.

"'Tech'," Aeris read from the sign, "huh, must be some kind of night club."

"Ugh," Alex said with a disgusted sound, "there used to be a nice antique shop here. Sad to see it replaced with something so... degenerative."

"What? Clubs are supposed to be like bars with lots of young people ready to party. How is that degenerative?" Leo asked. Alex gave the gray cat a mild look as he wondered if the feline was serious.

"Here's a better question. What does redundant mean?" Leo didn't fully understand the hint and looked back at the club.

"We should check it out." Leo then grabbed Aeris' and Alex's hands and pulled them inside.

The inside was what was expected, a large bar set off on it's own, few tables set away from it and a large area for people to just dance and mingle while multicolored lights rained down on them to the beat of loud modern music.

"Really out of my comfort zone here," Alex said, trying to carry his voice over the shriek of the music.

"Come on," Leo said, "live a little." Due to Leo's pushiness, they found themselves dragged into the large group of people dancing. Leo was the first to try his own moves, though it was obvious he had no talent in dancing, it didn't deter his fun.

"I'm getting a drink," Alex grunted, leaving the dance floor and taking a seat at the bar. The bartender just looked at him while he was cleaning a glass, obviously noticing his strange facial fur.

"What'll it be?" he eventually asked, having his fill.

"A coke?" Alex asked, not being one for alcohol.

"Ain't got any soda," the bartender said with a surly attitude.

"Water?"

"Nope.

"A damn glass of ice then," Alex growled, the bartender took a moment to give him a dirty look before grabbing a small glass and putting a few ice cubes in it.

Aeris grew tired of standing in one spot and bumping into random people. Finding Alex, she sat down next to him at the bar.

"Is something wrong?" she asked. First swallowing the chewed up ice that filled his mouth, Alex shook his head in response.

"Nah, I just hate these loud crowded places."

"And yet you go to gaming tournaments..."

"It's different, at least there I'm doing something I like. Plus I never feel vulnerable." The answer surprised Aeris, not understanding his meaning.

"What?" she asked, trying to figure it out. Alex only stood from his seat, the lights and booming music making his eyes and head ache.

"Never mind... I'm going to get some fresh air."

Leaving Aeris behind, he pushed his way through the crowds of people and moved towards the exit. One person in particular took notice to the hybrid as he bumped into him. Watching him leave, his eyes moved into furious stare.

* * *

><p>The streets were blackened from the night sky as Alex exited the club. His head throbbing in pain, he pulled a piece of gum out from his pocket and savored its taste.<p>

"I suppose things can't get much worse," he muttered to himself. Starting to feel his mind settle and his nerves relax, Alex breathed a sigh of relief and took in the stillness in the air. His relaxing demeanor made it all the more surprising as a black furred figure tackled into the hybrid from behind.

The two hit the ground hard, tumbling across the ground in a flurry of punches and kicks. Alex felt himself being pushed into a dark alley by his attacker and just narrowly ducked a fist heading for him as he stood up.

With the darkness of the alleyway, Alex couldn't make out a single detail in his assailant. But with the combination of his confusion of a surprise attack and need to not getting hit, he didn't have much time to see who exactly was attacking him.

Whoever he was, Alex's attacker was throwing punches both strong and fast, yelling out in furious anger with each attempt to do harm to the hybrid. Alex noticed a considerable skill the man had, blocking his own strikes as if he could see them coming miles away.

But a sloppy swing from the attacker allowed Alex a chance to grab his arm and pull it behind him. Then with a sharp kick into his back, the assailant was thrown into the wall. But it seemed to only make him angrier as he charged at him with full force, a fist made contact with Alex's stomach and the force of it threw him off his feet and onto the ground.

Leo, being sent out by Aeris, left the club in search of their friend. Hearing the sounds of a fight, he saw Alex was in trouble and moved to help. Seeing the attacker moving toward the down crossbreed, Leo moved in behind him and threw a punch for a surprise attack.

But the man, as if he had eyes in the back of his head, turned and grabbed the cat's outstretched fist. Having no time to react, Leo felt his feet leave the ground as he was lifted up and thrown toward Alex who was just recovering.

Leo smashed into him and they both crashed into a pile of trashcans.

"Ah, get off of me," Alex growled, tossing the feline over. Their attacker stomped toward them both, eager to continue the fight. Grabbing the lid off of one of the trashcans, Alex swung it upwards and caught him across the face. Then they were both on each other again as the man ran into him.

Now Aeris was outside, making sure everything was alright. She was completely taken by surprise as she witnessed the fight.

"Leo, Alex," she called, moving to help. Hearing her calling them, Alex looked back to see Aeris starring at them.

"Alex?" a surprised voice came from their attacker, dropping his guard as he said it. Taking the opportunity, Alex landed a solid blow directly into his face. Being knocked off his feet, the man groaned in pain as he landed on the ground, it was clear that the fight was out of him.

"Let's get a better look at you," Alex said, grabbing his shirt and dragging him out of the alley. Getting back to the sidewalk, Alex tossed the man into the adjacent street light.

Groaning again as he slammed into the metal pole, the light cast on him showed what he was. A wolf with pitch black fur. Looking up at Alex, he started chuckling as he rubbed the spot were he had hit him.

"Hehe, damn Alex, _right_ between the eyes. You just love getting that spot." Alex's angered looked then shifted into an expression of shock as he gazed down on the wolf.

"Jake?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So... yeah... First off, I do apologize for the long wait since the last chapter. Just a ton of shit happening all at once that really kept me from working on this chapter. **

**And yes, I'm sure from the title you all were expecting Leo to be crippled by saving Aeris from a burning church, hospitalized, eventually die, and then Alex being shot to death by dumb ass police officers... (har har references)  
><strong>

**It may seem like the details of my chapters are nonsensical and have no rhyme or reason, there is a very well established plan that has been set in stone since the beginning. Think of it like this. Say I take a large puzzle, a thousand pieces or however many a big puzzle would have, and I just throw it all over the room. Now of course it all looks like a mess, with all those puzzle pieces lying around. But eventually, as the pieces are brought into a pile, you begin to realize that those pieces can fit together when you previously thought they couldn't. As small bits of the puzzle is pieced together, you see more and more connections to bring together those big parts. And eventually you see the finished project and the beautiful picture that is made...**

**Yeah, I know I'm insane too... Feel free to call an asylum on me at anytime. (At least wait until this fic is done though)**

**So this chapter is done. Though I do think it is a poor excuse for one (come on, I know it's pretty bad too) But I do have high hopes for the next one and what I have planned for it. All sorts of fun times.**


	10. Subtle as a Sledgehammer

**Chapter 10: Subtle as a Sledgehammer**

The wolf continued giving a hearty chuckle, despite moments ago being in a physical struggle with the hybrid before him. Aeris, though still confused and somewhat defensive, watched with interest as a familiarity had just been established between the strange wolf and their friend Alex.

After his unknown amusement had died down, the wolf attempted to stand, from his position however it was a feeble attempt that caused him to merely fall down again.

"Mind lending a hand?" he asked expectantly. Without a word, Alex held his hand out to him. Just as he began hoisting himself up, Aeris jumped back a step in surprise as Alex brought his knee up and nailed the wolf in the stomach, causing him to fall back on the ground and clutch the sore spot.

"What the hell is the matter with you?" Alex shouted angrily. Again the wolf gave a light chuckle, ending in a pained groan.

"I don't feel I deserved that," he said, recovering himself and standing on his own.

"Oh? First time I see you in more then a year and you up and attack me? What are you even doing in New York?" The wolf gave a humored grin as he rubbed his stomach.

"You know me, I'll go anywhere big if it's worth it's weight in drink and women. And honestly, have you even looked at yourself lately? That fur of yours has the uncanniest resemblance." Alex pulled a lock of his hair down and looked up on it, still seeing tints of the changed color in it.

"Even you shouldn't be _that_ inept," Alex said, rubbing his eyes in annoyance.

"Who is this?" Aeris said, her curiosity finally making her speak up. Both of them looked at her in surprise, like they had forgotten she was there.

"Oh," Alex said, not realizing that introductions were in order. "Aeris, this is Jake, he's an old friend of mine."

"Pleased to meet you," Jake said, politely grabbing Aeris' hand and giving it a light kiss.

"Uh... likewise..." she said, slightly weirded out by the action.

"Good god," Alex murmured, rolling his eyes. "Jake, this is Aeris and... Leo..." Having just realized that the second cat was missing, they looked back toward the alley were the gray feline was slowly trying to pick himself up.

"Oh Leo," Aeris said, moving over to him to help.

"Heh, sorry about that," Jake apologized, smirking slightly.

After making sure Leo was okay, Aeris looked at the black wolf more closely. He was simply dressed. Wearing a pair of blue jeans, a black jacket, and a light gray undershirt. Black was his fur color, staying the same even for his hair, though Aeris did notice one thing that was also on his face. A dark gray line was on each side of his face. Starting at his eyes, they connected to the corners, moved down the sides of his muzzle and ended at the corners of his mouth.

Movement caught her eyes as well, her gaze moved toward the wolf's backside were she saw the strangest sight. Jake's tail wasn't what was expected of a wolf, it was much longer and was feline in looks, shaped like her own. It was black like the rest of him except for a series of gray spots dotting it and two rings wrapped around near the tip.

"You're a hybrid aren't you?" Aeris asked, it was an obvious assumption especially having known Alex.

"What? I am?" Jake said in surprise, putting on very blunt sarcasm. "Heh, very perceptive of you. Yes I am, and before you ask, my parents were wolf and cheetah. Don't ask which though as I don't know myself." He playfully flicked his tail toward her before turning to Alex. "Alex, I've gotta ask, what are _you_ doing back in New York or America even?"

"Mostly for a vacation," he said, eying both cats.

"Hell of a drive for a vacation," Jake replied.

"We flew." At that, a hand was brought over Jake's mouth as he attempted to stop the what was coming out. But it was a poor attempt and the flood of laughter broke free.

"Oh my god, haha, you actually got on a plane." He paused for a second as he gasped for air, spending it all on his laughter. "Oh man... phew," he said, finally stopping. "That must have been a sight. Though it does surprise me, how did you even end up like that?" Alex crossed his arms and glared down at the ground.

"I was forced," Alex muttered. Jake's eyes moved toward the two felines, spending more time looking at Aeris before he stepped closer to his friend. As if to whisper to him, he came close to his ear. Unneeded however as it was obvious that the two cats could still hear him.

"Are you... uh...," Jake started but didn't finish. Rather then continue talking, he raised his arm up and flicked his wrist. The action resembled as if he had a whip in hand and just cracked it, even making the sound with his mouth to add to the effect. Alex looked at his friend with a chagrined expression.

"No," he said flatly, looking Jake in the eyes. There was a second were the wolf hybrid appeared to be lost in thought, then his eyes widened slightly as he groaned.

"Dear lord Alex," Jake said, sounding both shocked and disappointed, "don't tell me she has the eighteen year leash on you. _You_ of all people," he began pacing back and forth on a small path in front of them, out of touch with everything else as he rambled on, "I mean, I remember always warning you, hoping that you wouldn't slip up. Though I thought I didn't need to worry, you weren't exactly like me in that department but I still didn't want you ruining your life so easily."

"Jake," Alex said, looking completely vexed, but his friend didn't seem to notice and kept going.

"Now that leash will be the very reigns used to ride your ass into submission. Something meant for your forties, or at the very least your late thirties. Now as young as you are, it will leave marks. And when it's all over you'll just be a husk, _nothing_ left of my little buddy, everything sapped from you... Then again... I've always wanted to be an uncle..."

"Jake," Alex shouted, finally catching the hybrid's attention. "It's not. Like. That," he said sternly, forcing the point across as deeply as he could. "We are just three friends out in New York, that's all."

"Ohhh," Jake said as he caught on. Then a devious grin crossed his face as he walked toward Aeris. "So uh... Aeris, might I ask you what your opinion on oak is?"

"As in the wood?" she asked, confused by the sudden topic.

"Yes the wood," Jake answered, moving closer to her.

"It's... a fine material I guess." Though it wasn't much of an answer, to her, it wasn't much of a question.

"That's good to hear. As it just so happens, my bed is equipped with a solid oak headboard back at my place. And I was wondering if you'd like to get more... acquainted with it."

He held her hand as he said it, gazing deeply into her eyes. It didn't take a genius to know what he was implying, and it wasn't lost by Aeris who guessed straight away. Though rather then use her words to answer him, she placed her own hand on top of his and gave a smile. And before the hybrid knew it, the pink cat twisted his arm back and upward, bringing it to the breaking point.

"Ow ow ow, okay okay," Jake stuttered out, feeling shots of pain jolt through his limb. "Merchandise is for window shopping only, I understand completely." There was a slight crack of the joints as Aeris twisted his arm a little farther, making Jake wince in pain. Then with a yank, he was forced onto the ground.

"To be honest, I was expecting her to do worse," Alex said, leaning over his friend with a smirk on his face. "Good to see you haven't changed much. I thought you were more into the bigger species of women though." Jake gave another chuckle at the statement, smiling as he stood up.

"Yeah, but that's like saying a food critic should only eat at a Mexican joint because he likes salsa."

"Good point," Alex muttered, rolling his eyes again. Jake then showed a smile toward the two cats and held out his hand.

"Well, it's good to see Alex has made friends in my absence. And any friends of his are friends of mine." Leo, after a moment of hesitation, accepted the hand and shook it.

"Just don't throw me again," the gray cat said. Bringing a laugh to the hybrid.

"Yeah, I'll try to be more observant to who I pick fights with for now on."

"Well," Aeris said, grabbing both Leo and Alex and pushing them down the sidewalk, "not that it hasn't been fun, but I'm starving and we were just on our way to eat pizza."

"Oh Alex," Jake responded in mild surprise, "you weren't taking them to the May's shop down this way were you?" Alex gave a shrug to the question, not seeing anything wrong with it. "No no no no, no friends of mine are eating at some second rate pizza shop. There's like a hundred just like it and they are all terrible. You can come to my place, it isn't very far and we can catch up on lost time."

"Well..." Alex started, looking uncertain, "that would be fine, if it's alright with these two." Aeris gave an uncaring shrug as she clutched her stomach.

"Just as long as we can get something to eat, not sure how long I'll last," Aeris said, looking slightly annoyed by the constant delays.

"Excellent," Jake said, sounding excited.

* * *

><p>"You live in Brooklyn," Alex said, it was less of a question and more of a unwanted statement. They had just stopped at what was obviously Jake's home.<p>

A normal enough looking house that was situated close to the border of Queens.

"Yeah, what's wrong with it?" Jake asked, giving a questioning look. Alex merely shrugged.

"Just doesn't seem like you, so I'm curious as to what... or who has your attention."

"The sights, the sounds, and a few other things..." Jake grabbed a key from his pocket and unlocked the front door. "Though I must admit, there's a great coffee shop just a block down with a lovely mare working there, been trying to catch her attention for a while now."

"Huh," Alex said, sounding surprised, "you usually don't put a lot into your courting."

"Yeah, I'm positive she's never been broken though, making my efforts that much more difficult... But as you know, that purity makes it all the more fun."

"Yup that's the Jake I know," Alex muttered, shaking his head. They entered the house and were immediately confronted with a mess. The living room looked like a gale had gone through, papers and clothes strewn about in every conceivable place, resembling a lot like a college dorm.

The two cats were shocked however at what else they saw, guns of all shapes and sizes were also cluttering the house. Pistols and rifles on the counters, tables, and laying against the walls. A few blank bottles with strange colored liquids were also everywhere, adding to the mess and the pile of questions that seemed required at this point.

"Sorry for the mess," Jake said, sounding like an armory sitting in one's home was normal, "I don't usually entertain guests who are interested in how clean these rooms are."

"Ugh, I remember this," Alex moaned, "our house back home would have always been a mess like this without me cleaning it."

"Do neither of you see the guns everywhere?" Aerisshouted, completely dumbstruck at how nonchalant they were.

"It's kind of cool," Leo said, moving toward a pistol and looking at it, he was about to pick it up before Aeris slapped his hand away.

"Don't worry," Jake said with a laugh, "I never keep ammunition in those. The rifles however... you should probably be careful with. Just make yourselves at home, don't do anything I wouldn't.

"That's giving them a lot of freedom," Alex remarked, gaining an annoyed look from his friend.

"Ha ha, you're so funny," he said sarcastically. He looked over to Aeris and Leo who were still looking about the rooms, seeing the mess that continued all across the house. "Try not to touch my gun collection or any bottle that isn't labeled. I got a little hammered about a week ago and thought it would be funny to sabotage myself, not sure what guns are booby trapped or which bottles will kill me for drinking them." Leo was already examining one of the glass bottles and quickly retracted his hand from it. "Watch TV or something for a few, me and Alex need a moment to catch up on old times."

Both hybrids then went up a set of stairs and disappeared, leaving Leo and Aeris alone. They looked around for a moment, Leo eventually gave up avoiding the out of place weapons and sat on the couch, having to move a pile of clothes to find room. Aeris on the other hand wasn't content with just waiting, as quietly as she could, she moved toward the stairs.

"You really shouldn't," Leo whispered, catching on to what Aeris was planning, but she ignored him. Going up the stairs, Aeris could hear voices behind one of the doors. Luckily, it wasn't fully shut, allowing her to peer into it and see what was going on.

To her surprise, the room was actually clean. From the look of it, it was Jake's bedroom. A dresser sat at one side, with other stands that had a lamps on them. The bed was at the far end, covered in red sheets and a large headboard at the front that Aeris could only guess was oak. But from were she was looking, the headboard looked odd, after allowing her eyes to adjust to the distance however, she could see that it had a series of deep claw marks dug into it, causing an involuntary shudder throughout her body.

Alex was inside, leaning against the wall in an aloof manner, while Jake was busy at the dresser, messing with different glasses.

"...well you did give me the lion's share of it," Jake said, his interest being on the what he was doing.

"I didn't think you'd keep to your old habits," Alex replied. "Your collection back home had enough firepower in it to kill half a city. There _is_ a limit you know, and your just borderline crazy at the moment." For a moment, Jake stopped what he was doing. Closing his eyes, he took in a deep breath and exhaled, almost like he was savoring something.

"Oh how I've missed that witty cynicism of yours Alex."

"Sadly, cynical and right goes together in this world," Alex muttered. "Just as optimistic goes with foolish." Jake gave a light chuckle as he turned with two small glasses in hand, both filled with ice and a brownish liquid.

"Scotch?" he offered, extending a glass. Alex merely stared at his friend, raising an eyebrow as if to question the seriousness of the offer.

"You know I don't drink," he finally replied.

"And _that's_ why you're no fun," Jake said, downing the first glass with one gulp and taking a smaller sip from the second.

"Like it really helps you," Alex retorted, almost laughing at it. "I could smell the whiskey on your breath when you attacked me, I'm sure my fur wasn't the only provocation."

"We all have our ways to cope. And I'll admit, I did hit the bottle a bit too much today. Oddly enough, a blow to the face is the perfect sobering mechanism." He took one last sip from the second glass and set them both down. "I suppose I should have payed more attention. It did surprise me that you didn't try stabbing me or talking my ear off, should've been a red flag."

"Given the fact you attacked me in the first place, it's safe for me to assume that you haven't heard anything from him?"

"No," Jake said, shaking his head, "he seemed to disappear about the same time we did. Pity, his company was enjoyable."

"Speak for yourself," Alex said angrily, practically hissing it out. There was an awkward silence between the two of them, Jake looked toward his friend while Alex seemed angered by something.

"So," Jake said, breaking the silence, "how have you been holding up?"

"Not much has changed," Alex answered. The way he said it got to Aeris, sounding so sad, so depressed.

"You haven't fared well then?"

"And you expected it?" Alex sounded angry now. Jake's own expression changed to a sympathetic one.

"It's been over a year Alex, I would have thought you could put the past were it should stay. To let go." Alex just crossed his arms and looked away, giving a heavy sigh.

"You say that like it's an easy feat. To just let go... forget. It's why I decided to stay in Canada, a new place to try and piece myself together. But it hasn't helped much." Slowly, he slid down the wall until he was sitting, he rested his head on his knees while he stared at the floor. "I still feel it... that burning, searing feeling in the pit of my stomach... boiling with as much intensity as it did back home. Even the nightmares are still there, every night like before. Sometimes they're as simple as they usually are. But then... those other nights... they get so horrible..." He looked up at his friend. "Can we really expect things to just change when it's not even really over?"

"We both agreed that we wouldn't torture ourselves with that nonsense anymore. That's why we stopped in Canada in the first place."

"Maybe..." Alex muttered, standing up and looking at himself in the mirror.

"You know..." Jake said, sounding tactful in what he was saying, "it would probably help... if you visited them, at least once." Still looking at himself, Alex's hand reached up and felt the collar around his neck, running a finger across its length. "I remember you saying how you never did before we met, and I know we never found time afterward..."

"No," he said, sounding emotionless, "I don't want them to see me like this. Not after all that has happened." A weak smirk crossed the side of Jake's mouth.

"Alex Kage, doesn't believe in an afterlife, yet afraid of being judged by headstones."

"It's different," Alex snapped, startling Jake with the outburst. "Back then, they just saw a fifteen year old boy, happily living with his family... I don't want to corrupt that. All they would see now is some kind of monster."

"Alex, don't say that," Jake tried saying, but Alex shook his head.

"You know it's true." Knowing what he said, Jake let out a much needed sigh.

"Look, I'm sorry for bringing it up. I don't want any bad blood between us. I've missed you man."

"Yeah... me too Jake," Alex replied showing a smile.

"All right then," Jake said with a renewed joy. "Let's go check on your friends, they're probably wondering where we are."

Knowing she should go, Aeris moved away from the door and crept back down the steps. Getting into the living room, Leo was still watching TV, she quickly took a seat next to him.

"Okay guys," Jake said, jumping down the steps. "Who's hungry?"

"Finally," Leo shouted, leaping from his seat. But the action caused the cat to stumbled, he bumped into the table in front of him that had a rifle poised on top. Immediately, the gun fired, aiming right for Alex and Jake. Both hybrids jumped out of the way as the bullet tore a small hole in the wall.

"Haha," Jake said laughing, "I _knew_ that one was rigged!"

* * *

><p>The kitchen was as much a mess as the rest of the house, it took them a while just to make enough room for them to eat. But dinner didn't take very long, though it was obvious as to why by the time the two cats were given their meal.<p>

It was simply a bowl of noodles with a little water added. Pieces of a tasteless chicken were chopped up in it as well, though the food was strange as the noodles had a beef flavoring. Despite how it looked though, it was filling. From what they could understand, it was something both Alex and Jake were used to when they lived together.

"Okay, so we are on the plane," Jake said at the table, regaling his guests with a story from their past, Alex just sat there with a hand over his face. "It's high up in the air, can't even make out what's on the ground. We are both getting ourselves ready, I already have my chute on, and the instructor was getting Alex's ready for him. The door was open and you could hardly hear a thing with the deafening sounds around us. _That_ is when I get the most brilliant of ideas. With Alex not paying attention, I get behind him and _BAM_, kicked him right out of the plane." He started laughing hysterically, with Aeris and Leo both staring at him wide-eyed. "H-he let out the most hilarious of s-screams haha. Of course, I immediately jump out after him. With his flailing around in the air, it was easy for me to catch up to him and grab hold. After that I used my parachute and we floated down safely. Heh, oh god, you should have seen the look on his face, priceless."

"Yeah... priceless," Alex muttered. A horrified expression was locked onto Aeris face, while Leo on the other hand joined in on the laughing.

"And of course poor Alex has been traumatized ever since," Jake finished, still laughing.

"Yes yes, all very funny," Alex said, even giving a small clap. "Why not tell them of our time in Missouri, that one dairy farm we spent the night at." Hearing Alex's words caused Jake's eyes to widen.

"Uh... they wouldn't be interested in that," he said, a slight shake in his voice.

"Oh not at all," Alex retorted with a smirk, he turned to the cats with his smirk expanding. "You see, after we left our home town, we headed west first. Along the way we ended up being forced to stop and spend the night at an old dairy farm. It was run by this rather surly bull but he was kind enough to let us sleep in his barn." He started to give a light chuckle as he continued. "After I'm fast asleep, I wake up to a loud sound of wood shattering. Right afterward, I hear what sounded like a cross between a yelping dog and a screaming little girl, only to see Jake running out of the farmer's house with his jacket and pants thrown over his shoulders and the farmer charging right behind him."

"You don't know what you're talking about," Jake said, looking mortified, but he was ignored.

"I didn't know what was going on... well... until _she_ came into view. A half naked heifer girl was trailing behind both of them, of course it didn't take long for me to figure it out. After a panic induced episode we made it to our car and drove off right before the farmer got to us. I was sore about it at first, but when I realized were the scream came from, I just couldn't stop laughing."

"It was obviously from her," Jake said, only to have Alex laugh at him.

"You were hoarse for half an hour, like it came from anyone else." Jake now looked embarrassed as he ate the last of his food. "Never really gave him too hard of a time about it though, couldn't really be angry. Caught a glimpse of the girl's... traits when we met and can't say I didn't expect for it to happen. And it was interesting to see some of that cheetah speed get used, outran the bull rather well."

"Father kind of ruined it though," Jake mumbled.

"Well... you did kind of... you know... with his daughter."

"Doesn't mean he couldn't act more civil, the guy almost impaled me on his horns." The four of them all shared a laugh and dinner was quickly finished.

"Look at the time," Aeris said, noticing how late it was. Leo's mouth practically unhinged with the large yawn he gave off. "I think it's time we get back to the hotel."

"All right then," Jake said, quickly grabbing the dishes and putting them away. "It was good meeting the two of you. Since you still have time in New York, I'll make sure to stop by and visit."

Saying their last goodbyes, the three made for the hotel.

"So," Aeris said, eying Alex as they moved across the sidewalk, "have you known him long?"

"Yeah, for a few years," he answered. Though he was expecting a few questions when they were alone, such a simple one as that wasn't one of them.

"What did you guys 'catch up' on? Seems like you were up there for awhile."

"We uh... just talked about what happened since we last saw each other. He's one to boast about his feats." Aeris knew he wasn't telling her the truth, while she didn't expect him to, she couldn't help but feel there was more going on then he let on.

"I think he's awesome," Leo said, pointing his fingers like guns and shooting imaginary targets. "Why didn't you tell us about him before?"

"What? That I have a gun touting moron for a friend? Certainly makes for an excellent conversation starter. I didn't even expect to meet him here. While I knew he was in America, I didn't think he'd be this far east."

"Seems like a nice enough guy," Aeris said, "if a little too direct and unsubtle."

It didn't take long for them to get to their room and collapse into their beds, or in Alex's case, the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So chapter 10... introduced a lovable little bastard. So yeah, we see that the crazy guy from chapter nine is actually an old friend. Though the specifics are still a bit unknown, we'll get into that later. And it seems like there's more then one secret between them both. And to clarify, Jake isn't going to become a major character in the story, not like he will be here from this chapter and every other one afterwards or anything. No need to worry if you're someone who can get antsy around many oc's. **

**Even got back to large chapters, next one should be just as lengthy if I'm picturing it right.**

**I also hope everyone has had a great time during the holidays. Can't really say much for myself, Christmas wonderment left me years ago. But it was my nephew's very first Christmas, so that was something special. **

**Anyway, crossing fingers that everyone enjoyed the chapter (especially after last one was kind of pisspoor) next one should be just as fine as this.**


	11. Dual Conversings

**Chapter 11: Dual Conversings**

With the warm morning sun pouring through the windows, Alex's sleeping state was disturbed as he stretched out on the floor in his half asleep form. As he became fully aware of himself, he opened his eyes to see a black furred face smiling down at him.

"Ah," Alex yelped, jumping a foot across the floor in shock. Clutching at his chest, he took in deep breaths as it felt like his heart had stopped for a moment.

"Tsk tsk tsk Alex," Jake said, nodding toward the bed where Aeris slept, "a perfectly good spot right next to pinky over there and you don't take it, I'm disappointed."

"Maybe you should take it," Alex growled, angry over the surprised intrusion. "Watching you get broken in half might brighten my day."

"Some other time maybe," he replied, "maybe we should wake the-" Jake was cut off as he heard a surprised scream.

They both looked to see Leo flailing about in his covers, moving to the edge of the bed and slipping off to smash onto the floor. Aeris was awake by now too, being startled like the rest of them due to the surprise visit.

"How the hell did you get in here?" she shouted, smacking him in the face with the pillow she threw. Giving a light chuckle, Jake tossed the pillow back with a grin.

"I literally just walked up to the front desk and asked for a key, only had to know your guys' names. Seems like poor security, I could easily have been some kind of assassin, ready to purge this hotel of the crossbred filth residing within." Alex shot a glare toward his friend.

"That's not even funny," he said. Jake only shrugged.

"Eh, they can't all be gold. Now come on," he grabbed the fox hybrid's leg and started dragging him across the floor toward the door, "they're serving breakfast downstairs and I forgot my wallet."

"Hold on," Alex said, spreading his arms and grabbing the doorway as Jake kept pulling, "at least let me get a shirt on!"

Aeris and Leo looked at one another while the hybrids bickered. To both of them, having breakfast fixed for them at a restaurant sounded like a wonderful idea, especially if someone else was paying.

* * *

><p>The hotel's dining hall was as much as you would expect. Tables and booths dotted the area, waiters and waitresses walked about as they took orders and delivered food. Two metal doors were constantly flapping open, either waiters or bussers endlessly coming through.<p>

"And that's how I lost it," Jake said, showing a proud look as he finished his latest story.

Both cats just stared at him, having just heard one of the strangest stories. Alex kept his head down, looking at the plate in front of him, picking at the scraps of breakfast.

"Wow," Leo finally said.

"At age twelve too," Aeris pointed out, "that's... a bit earlier then usual."

"Yeah," Jake said, leaning back in his seat, looking smug, "guess I'm just that awesome."

"Dear god," Alex said, unable to remain silent, "no one gives a damn about when you lost your last baby tooth Jake."

"Oh you're just jealous Alex, your own disfigured jaw can't match up to my pearly whites."

"There's nothing wrong with my teeth," Alex growled, his canine fangs showing their tips under his lip.

"Right... whatever you say Dracula."

Alex shot his friend a dirty look before pushing his plate aside, Aeris and Leo both finished their own breakfasts and did the same. After a few moments of silence, Jake looked at his watch and stood up.

"Well, the day has barely started," he said, eying the three before his gaze stopped on the pink furred feline. "Hey Aeris, about that mare I mentioned before. I'm thinking about a new tactic to try out and would love a female perspective on it, mind if I showed you and you could give me your thoughts?"

"Yeah sure, that'll be fine," Aeris answered, getting up herself. "Provided you keep your hands to yourself."

"Heh, I will, scout's honor," Jake said, holding up his hand as if to swear it.

"Yeah... he's not a scout," Alex muttered. "Quite frankly, he's the last guy you'd want helping you across the street."

"Nobody asked you," Jake retorted. Putting on his jacket, he turned to leave with Aeris. "You two behave now." Then they were both gone, leaving Leo and Alex alone.

"Now what?" Leo mumbled, no plans for themselves.

* * *

><p>Their walk on the New York streets was much quieter then Aeris had anticipated. Jake just kept his eyes forward, not uttering a sound. But after a large distance was put between them and the hotel, Aeris said the first word.<p>

"So... exactly what do you want to show me?"

"That was just to get you alone," Jake answered, surprising the cat.

"What?" she said in shock.

"I can tell you have questions. Can practically see the curiosity in your eyes. And knowing Alex, I'm sure he hasn't been the most talkative." It surprised her how attentive he was, easily reading her like a book.

"Yeah... yeah actually, I've been wondering-," she tried saying before Jake interrupted her.

"Not now," he said, continuing his silence for the rest of the trip.

Several minutes later, Aeris looked up at the building they had stopped at. 'Horsebucks' was written on the sign showing an odd looking logo. From pictures on the windows and the look of the inside, Aeris figured it was a coffee shop. She remembered Jake mentioning one the other day.

Stepping inside, she could see it was well put together. Tables and booths set around for customer comfort, a large counter that had a menu hanging above it and a glass inside with a wide variety of pastries. Only a few people were inside at the time, some reading the newspaper or typing on a laptop while they sipped their coffee.

"Hello Jake," the woman in front of the counter greeted with a warm smile. She was a mare with a light brown coat and blonde hair, wearing what was apparently the shop's uniform.

"Oh... hi Daisy," Jake replied, sounding surprised and nervous, "I didn't know you worked today."

"Yeah, Samantha called in sick. It's not like I had any other plans though... and who is this?" Her eyes moved toward Aeris, looking her up and down, possibly guessing as to why she would come in with the hybrid. "I... didn't think you were a dating type..."

"Oh, no no," Jake said, becoming slightly frantic, "she's not, uh. She's..."

"I'm his sister," Aeris answered, interrupting his blabbering.

"Sister?" Daisy questioned, staring at the pink cat.

"Well, half-sister anyhow. I had just came to visit him to see how he was doing. Haven't seen him since he helped me after my son's deadbeat father left." Jake just stared at her blankly for a moment. Giving his head a quick shake, he regained his wits.

"Heh, well you know me. My _big_ heart and all."

"It's good to meet you then" said the mare. "Now, what would you like?"

"The usual for me I suppose," Jake said. "Oh, and a bearclaw." Aeris was surprised that he could still be hungry after having eaten breakfast not too long ago.

"Um... I'll have," Aeris started, looking at the menu. She had no idea there were so many different types of coffee, with names she could barely pronounce let alone understand. "a multicheno deluxe." Finally deciding but having no idea what she ordered.

"Coming right up." It took no time at all for their order to be put together and handed to them.

"Thank you" Jake said gratefully, giving her money and taking the drinks over to find a table. "Good cover by the way," he whispered to Aeris as soon as they were out of the mare's earshot.

They found a table that was distanced from the few patrons of the shop and they sat down, both making themselves relaxed. Aeris took notice as Jake looked toward the counter, giving a flirtatious look toward Daisy before taking a bite from his food.

"You really do like the big girls don't you," Aeris pointed out. Daisy couldn't be considered overweight, but she was built large, especially when compared to Aeris herself. It was expected however given her horse species.

"Yeah," Jake said with a smile, "I suppose it's either my wolf or male instincts wanting the test of strength, lifting a girl who weighs more then you is oddly enjoyable... There's also the ego boost of knowing you've satisfied someone who's naturally inclined for a male who is more," he gave a forced cough, "genetically made for them. Let's face it, I'm no stallion, and there are limitations between species. Not to sell myself short or anything."

Aeris stared at him, eyes widened.

"Oh, heh, sorry. I'm not really used to friendly conversation where I needed to censor myself, I realize I'm not being appropriate at the moment."

"It's okay..." Aeris muttered. Taking a small sip of his coffee, Jake took off the lid covering his cup and inhaled it's aroma. Then he reached inside his jacket and retrieved a silver flask, a red liquid poured out as he tipped it over his coffee, adding a small amount before putting the flask away.

"Much better," he said, taking a long drink.

"Someone's an alcoholic," Aeris pointed out, taking a small sip from her own.

"That implies a problem," Jake said, taking another sip.

"You know it's unhealthy, especially with as much as you drink."

"I don't drink that much," Jake replied with a shrug. Aeris gave him a flat look, showing that she wasn't a fool. "Okay okay, maybe I do consume more then an average amount. But I can hold my alcohol well, it'll take a lot to do me harm."

"But why do it at all? Why be so self-destructive?"

"I'm not really sure," Jake mumbled, looking as though he was in deep thought. "Then again, I've never given much thought into the reasons for a lot of things I do." With a steady sigh, he rubbed his eyes. "I didn't always drink like this though, I know that much. A few years back I just had a usual drink every now and then, kept myself loose. After my time with Alex though... I guess I got more of a taste for it..."

"Alex caused you to drink?" Aeris couldn't believe that, or have any idea how that could happen.

"No no, not exactly. We've both been through a lot though. Have you noticed how he chews gum a lot?" The look Aeris showed made the hybrid know. "While he can't stand the taste of booze, he found something else to crave."

"That's what I want to know, about Alex, and about you. I'd ask Alex but... it's how he says things... Even with what he's told me, he seems to only give a sliver of the truth, leaving just as many questions as before." A light chuckle escaped Jake, his face showing amusement.

"That certainly does sound like him. I on the other hand love to hear myself talk." His mouth crooked upward into a smile.

* * *

><p>While Jake and Aeris had each others company, Leo and Alex were left alone to fend for themselves.<p>

Having watched them leave, the boys returned to their room where after minutes of aimless boredom, Leo found an old chess board. With nothing better to do, they set the game up and began playing.

"Um..." Leo rested his head in his hand as he looked at the board, trying to make his move. There game started fifteen minutes ago but hardly any moves had been made, Leo's own side only had a few pawns moved to a few places, seemingly at random.

"You going to make a move or what?" Alex said, his head sunk and starring at the cat, the look in his eyes showed his patience was wearing thin.

"Yeah yeah," Leo replied, slowly moving his hand over a piece but quickly pulling it away. "Uh... I guess I'll move... the tower..."

"Rook."

"What?"

"It's called a rook Leo," Alex pointed out. "Not 'tower', not castle, rook. Come on, this is common knowledge."

"Alright, if you're gonna bitch about it, I'll move something else." After another moment of thought. "I'll move the horse."

"Dammit Leo it's a knight! Not a damn horse, that's ridiculous."

"How does that make sense," Leo protested, "it's clearly a horse!"

"Knights _ride_ horses, it's as simple as that."

"Whatever," Leo said, looking back at the different pieces. "Fine... how about I go with the... steam pipe..."

"Gahhh," Alex yelled out in frustration, throwing the board off of the table, pieces flying across the room. Then with a loud thud, he slammed his forehead against the table, starring down at his feet as he sat there. His own heavy breathing being his own action as he calmed down.

"Sooooo," Leo said, instantly becoming board, "... you wana go see what video games the city has?" The hybrid's first response was an odd noise, sounding like a close mix of a groan and sigh.

"Yeah... yeah that'll work."

* * *

><p>"Let's see..." Jake muttered, scratching his muzzle in thought, "about myself... Well, I'm an autumn. My favorite color is magenta. I'm told my best quality is my stamina. I'm not a religious person, go figure. My favorite drink is a cold one. I consider myself a very considerate lover. And I've even made up my own position, I call it the mischievous misbehaver, it's were you lift your leg up really far so you can-"<p>

"_Okay_, okay that's not what I had in mind!" Aeris said, flattening her ears as she cut him off.

"Heh, maybe not, but I find the most pointless details of someone's life to be the most interesting. I suppose you want more of a shorten verse biography."

"That would be good," Aeris replied, thinking she could finally get some answers. After taking another sip, Jake cleared his throat.

"As you can see Aeris, I'm a hybrid," he stated it as though it should have come as a surprise to her. "I know, shocking. I was born this way, never had much choice in the matter, though I suppose my parents did... Heh, it's funny, I never even knew which species my parents were. You see, I was abandoned as a pup, left on the doorstep of an orphanage, only a day or so old..." He began tapping the sides of his coffee cup with his fingers, watching the ripples of the liquid expand outward to the edges. "They... didn't even give me a name, Jake was what the orphan Matron called me..."

"I'm sorry," Aeris said, trying to sound sympathetic. Jake responded with a mild shrug.

"Eh, you can't miss what you never had... So yeah, I grew up in an orphanage. Hated it there, but every kid there did. But most didn't have to put up with it for too long, usually being adopted and taken away. Though it was made painfully obvious that it wasn't my fate. 'No one would want a crossbreed like you' the Matron would say."

"That's horrible, certainly there were nice couples who didn't care about that."

"You'd think that, but no. Couples always wanted a kid their own species, very rarely did it ever change and it didn't go far. Maybe wolves who would take a dog, something like that. So knowing that, it wasn't very hard of a decision for me when I decided to escape."

"Escape?"

"Well... 'walked out the front door' doesn't sound nearly as bad ass... Living on the streets wasn't that bad, though I did miss that soft bed. But after a few years I got used to it, got what I needed through simple thefts. As I got older though, I made it into this 'gang', we made cracks at warehouses and had simple feuds against others."

"Wasn't it dangerous?"

"Of course. There were times when we would lose someone. Either gunned down by the police or other criminals higher up on the food chain. But that's how the streets were, no room for slip ups and no tears would be shed for your passing."

"Alex said how he lived on the streets too, is that how you two met?" Coming to understand Jake was allowing Aeris to piece together more on their fox hybrid friend.

"Actually no," Jake said. He paused for a moment, studying Aeris for a reason she couldn't figure. "I ended up leaving the gang before then. After a few years with them, I knew there was no future to be had. But there was nowhere I could go, no way out. Then... I met this strange man, well... I was trying to rob him." Jake's eyes became distant again, his memories taking him away from where he was. "He stayed calm and just talked to me, asking me why I did what I did..."

"Was it that strange to you?"

"You'd be surprised how many people wouldn't give you the time of day in my position, let alone try and hear what you needed to say. After awhile of talking though, he seemed to understand something. He then asked me to join him and other people like myself, people with poor luck and even poorer lives... He saved my life that day, offering me a way off the streets and through him I met Alex."

* * *

><p>"His name was Kerkrin," Alex said, continuing his tale to Leo.<p>

The New York streets were as boring as any other city. With their own back in Canada was so similar, there wasn't much excitement to be had as the two tried to find gaming store. So a conversation between them was quickly started.

What surprised Alex was how Leo didn't go off on a nonsensical rant about a seemingly juvenile topic that he had come to expect, rather he asked about Jake, and how they knew one another. It was something he expected, even prepared, for Aeris to wonder about, but he didn't think Leo would have much interest in it.

"Jake took his offer and joined up with him. It wasn't until much later when I met him myself." Though Alex had no problem in what he was about to say, it didn't stop him from sighing. "I had returned to my home city after I left New York. Back then I was... much different. The pain and depression of what happened to my family had subsided and being left behind was just anger and frustration."

"That was different?" Leo asked, remembering the incident with the chess board not too long ago.

"Much more so then I am now... I lashed out at people for no reason, going out of my way to pick fights. In that city, it wasn't a very good idea. I got into many fights, some I won and others I lost. Never going away unscathed, it was obvious I would eventually bite off more then I could chew.

"Then one night I was tossed out of a bar, while I don't drink, they are the perfect place to rile up a scuffle. Leaving even angrier then I was before, I was stopped by a man who simply asked me what I was doing. Becoming quickly agitated, I tried fighting him, he seemed rather old and I thought I could handle him easy. To my surprise, I got my ass kicked."

"Got whooped by an old timer huh," Leo said laughing. Shrugging his shoulders, Alex continued.

"What can I say, I never expected that much of a fight from him. Afterward, he again asked me the same question. While I didn't tell him much, he seemed to gain a great deal of understanding from what I did say. Then he offered me a job, and a way to control my emotion. With nowhere else to go, I took him up on that offer.

"As it turned out, he was a big timer in the fighting circuit. Though it was an illegal act, it was the most honest work someone in my position could take. With a few others, we fought against other people in the ring, bets being placed on us to either win or lose. Kerkrin then taught me how to fight and how to channel my inner pains... Even gave me a place to live and earn money, and of course that is where I met Jake."

"Oh," Leo exclaimed, piecing it together, "so you two met while working for the same guy."

"Yeah, but our meeting was not even close to what you would call 'friendly'. In fact, he hated my guts, never really found out why. From there, we had a heated rivalry, trying to prove who was better, beating each other senseless whenever we had the chance." Alex sighed fondly as he recounted old times. "Ah, those were the days... Eventually though we both found common ground and quickly become friends because of it. After a while we got our own home to do with as we wished and left the fighting business behind."

"What ever happened Kerkrin?" Leo inquired. Hearing the question, Alex stopped in his tracks, standing still for a moment on the sidewalk.

"The city... caught up with him." It was all he said before returning to his usual walking pace. Leo didn't understand it, but he at least knew better then to question.

More time passed with both Leo and Alex continuing their trek to find a place of business that was relevant to their interests, with very little luck in succeeding. Soon, they could hear a low grumble forming in their stomachs.

Lunchtime was starting to come and go for them, it was more of a surprise to realize how much time had gone by. Luckily for them however a hotdog cart was stopped just on the corner of the street they were following. The smell of cooking meat made their growling gullets even more fierce.

They each bought two, Leo dumping everything the vender had to offer on his own while Alex stayed with plain mustard and ketchup, giving a disgusted look at the vegetable toppings. Finding a bench to sit and enjoy their meal, they savored each bite.

Alex was finished first, tossing his trash away, he waited while Leo continued eating. There was an appreciated silence due to it, one that the hybrid spent on his own personal thoughts. But as the silence continued, Alex decided to break it.

"Leo," he said, the gray cat sticking his tongue out to lick off excess condiment that had stuck to his lip, "I feel I should apologize on behalf of Jake for his actions last night." Leo only gave him a confused look. "Toward Aeris I mean." Still just a questioning stare from the feline, clearly not understanding what Alex was saying. "I'm sure you took some manner of offense, Jake isn't one to think too deep with people and how his advances might effect them."

"What offense would I have?" Leo asked.

"Well... while I can clearly see there is nothing romantic going on between you two, I can't help think there are some... misplaced emotions... As in a desire to be _more_ then friends..."

"Wait a minute... you think I... _what_?" Leo sounded startled with the revelation.

"Come on Leo," Alex tried saying, "any sane person would think that."

"Well I don't!" The sudden upset wasn't something Alex was expecting.

"Sorry sorry, I didn't mean to rile you up. It's just... I have to know what's up with you two."

"Simple, we're just friends." It was an easy answer but Alex wouldn't have it.

"Leo," he said sternly. "Coloring inside the lines is simple. You and Aeris... there isn't even a word for it, certainly not simple. So what's the deal?"

At that moment, Leo showed a look of uncertainty. Not sure about what he was about to say, as if he had never pondered the answer before.

"I... don't know. We've been friends since we were kids. When I came to Canada, no one gave a damn about me. Then I met Aeris and she was the only one who seemed to give me a chance. Sure she's mean, she's bossy, and doesn't laugh at my jokes, but I think that's just her way of doing things. We share so many of the same interests, and even though I don't like-like her, I do care for her. All I'd ever want is for her to be happy. If it takes some guy for that to happen, then that's fine, as long as he never hurts her."

"Wow Leo," Alex said, completely astonished. He never would have guessed that Leo could be so articulate when called upon. Then he began scratching his muzzle as he thought of something. "I wonder if Aeris feels the same way."

* * *

><p>"<em>What<em>?" Aeris said, shocked by the sudden question.

"Well," Jake started, "if you're not banging Alex, I can only assume the gray one's on the receiving end of a pelvic dance."

"No no, oh GOD no!"

"Really?" Jake said, sounding surprised as he crossed his arms. "There's nothing?"

"No, what's the matter with you people, assuming we have to be deeper then friends due to a difference in gender."

"Friend is a very complex term Aeris. You can cut that crap out now, it's not a simplistic matter, all that's needed are the specific details of your little... relationship." Aeris rubbed her eyes as she sighed heavily, she didn't enjoy being backed into a corner.

"There isn't much to say. We are friends, ever since we were kids in middle school. Back then, most people avoided me, for one reason or another. But not Leo... maybe just because he was new, maybe not. Our interests were similar enough to create a friendship, even though he was an idiot who never knew when to keep his mouth shut. No matter how badly I've treated him, he's always been there for me, offering his aid whether I needed it or not, he's always had a big heart." She sighed again, sounding much more agitated then the last. "Long ago, there was a point when we both thought we had... interests in one another that went beyond the means of a normal friendship."

"Ah, puppy love," Jake said, smirking slyly, "or in this case... kitten."

"Yes well, we only _thought_ we had those feelings. But we soon realized that they were nothing but a passing emotion that wasn't going to go anywhere. So we stayed friends. Even now, he's the only guy in my life. It's not as though I have any other true friends like him, not even a man to bring back those deeper feelings I once thought I had with Leo. Maybe it's just because Leo's all I need right now."

"Hm," Jake murmured as he took it all in, "I'm curious if... the forbidden garden has ever met the farmer's plow."

Aeris eyes widened and a small gasp escaped her as she caught on to what he was asking. The hybrid caught his answer, not in words, but in action as Aeris slapped him hard across the face.

"Ah," he grunted, rubbing his cheek, "okay... out of line, I get it... Seriously though, I think I understand. There's a very special bond between you both, something very rare in this world. Reminds me a lot of myself and Alex."

"Really?"

"It might sound sappy but, Alex is really the only person I've ever felt kinship with. He's like the brother I never had, while I'm more like the brother he never wanted... Though he wouldn't admit it himself, it's mostly out of respect for Max."

"It still seems troubling for him, having lost his family in that fire." Aeris still remembered when he told them the story, the sadness he showed as he brought up those painful memories. But Jake only looked at her strangely. For a moment, it looked like confusion before he finally nodded.

"Yeah... yeah, a fire is a terrible way to go... Aeris, I know you want to know more about Alex, I'm sure you've learned some new things today as well, but know that I can't tell you everything. His life is his own business, there's a lot of pain there that I'm sure he doesn't want to dig up, and I have no right to betray him by telling others. Alex isn't one to share his pain, keeping it silent to deal with it on his own, never wanting to bother others with it."

"I think I can understand that," the pink cat answered. She had learned a good deal about the both of them now.

"Good. And for what it's worth, I'm glad you've had such an effect on him."

"What do you mean?"

"He flew here, came back to the states, shared with two others parts of his life... all things I never would have thought he would do. Even _I_ couldn't get him to leave Canada with me to come back here, but now here he is... Maybe this past year has done more for him then I thought."

Aeris gave a great deal of thought into what Jake had said. All she did was force him to come with them, not leaving him much choice. But perhaps, there was something Jake saw that she didn't.

"Man," Jake said, looking at his watch, "we've certainly been here a while. Maybe we should go and make sure nothing bad has happened to those two." Just as he was getting up, Daisy returned to the table and handed him something.

"Um... Jake," she said, sounding slightly nervous as she handed him what looked like a small handful of ones, "you forgot your change at the counter."

"Oh, thank you Daisy," Jake replied sweetly. After he received the money, the mare went back to her position. Flipping through the bills, there was a dash of white that stood out amongst the tint of green paper. "What's this..." It was a note, nestled within the center of the money, with feminine handwriting on it. "'Close at ten tonight... come find me'..." It took a few moments for the realization to hit the wolf hybrid. "Holy shit..." His mouth went agape as he re-read the paper. "But... oh god, Aeris..." he looked up at her with a large smile. "You're a better wing-man then Alex."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Um... yeah... okay... I believe apologies are in order. Honestly, I have NO idea how it took so long to get this chapter done. Just so much crap going on and on around here. So yeah... sorry about the wait and all everyone. (though I seriously doubt my story is good enough to keep readers on the edge of their seat in anticipation) **

**For all you doomsayers out there as well, know that I will NEVER abandon this story. As a fear seems to exist here about stories collecting dust with nigh an update in sight. But no worries, I give my solemn vow that I will finish this fanfic. Scout's honor... yeah I'm a scout but whatever. **

**First chapter of the new year as well, (slow clap) The year we are all supposed to die... cheery ain't it...**

**Anyway, about the chapter. We see a bit more depth in Jake and Alex, OH and what's this? Something about our favorite felines... Huh, how bout that...**

**As usual, hope you guys enjoy the chapter, sorry once again for the long wait. I'll try to return to a usual pace with the next ones. Now I'm off to go cry in a corner over my failures as a writer...**

* * *

><p><em><strong>Behind <strong>__**the**__** Chapters: **_**(Oh yeah, bringing this back)**

**Horesbucks, does it need an explanation? Didn't think so. Wonderful place, where people can get their favorite caffeinated liquid drug at any time of the day. Though it did suffer scandal when it was first opened, many people filing lawsuits for discrimination, as it was the policy to only hire people of equine descent. Of course the CEO absolved the company of all wrong dong by simply stating that it was due to the 'theme' of the shop... (I'm putting too much into this aren't I...) **

* * *

><p><em><strong>Shameless<strong> **Plug**_: **(ooo something new I see)**

**This is something I just thought up of, a bit of a way to talk about something that has caught my eye. And being a good reason for this chapter's lateness, I think it would be a good start.**

**Another reason this chapter took so long was that something else has taken up a bit of my free time. I ended up buying Swtor not too long ago, you know, that newish Star Wars MMO. I've gotta say, it's a very enjoyable game. No regrets buying it at all so far, having a blast leveling my marauder. They have the BEST ability in the game, it's like a charge, but the animation makes you jump in the air toward the target. Like WHOOSH then stab stab... ah so much fun.**

**Now, I'm not saying take my word for it and go out and buy the game. I know different people have different tastes, but it is a good game and if you do enjoy MMO type games and at least don't hate Star Wars (not a gigantic fan myself, and I still like it) then you should give it a try. Word of advice though, do not, I repeat _do not_ look at the official forums to see if you'll like it... just don't... What you should do is look at different videos put up about it.**

**For me personally, when I was deciding if I would try out the game, I found this one channel on Youtube that had a good amount. TGN is their name, they played it back in beta and did a good amount of videos for it. The starting quests for all 8 classes, a few of the flashpoints (dungeons) as well as some PVP content. Watching them made me decide to want to play it, and what class I liked best.  
><strong>


	12. Purity Is Overrated

**Chapter 12: Purity Is Overrated**

Finally, with their long search over, Leo and Alex looked up to see their destination towering over them.

GameShop was printed on the front sign. Both were slightly surprised by it, Alex having forgotten that it was the name of a large company that spanned over most of the continent. Finding one in America seemed obvious after realizing it.

The inside was much different to its Canadian cousin. Most obvious was the increased size. An ocean of games expanded out in front of them, covering every inch of wall. Ranging in genre as well as age, the past four generations of consoles and their libraries made up the store. Another contrast was the other section to the store.

It seemed to have it's own built-in arcade. From the classics to never heard of knock-offs, the quarter munching machines filled the room with the sights and sounds that games these days never have.

Leo stood there, paralyzed as his gamer instincts overloaded. Drool started to come down from his lip as Alex snapped his fingers in front of him, taking the feline from his trance.

"Wow..." Leo said, sounding like a child entering a candy factory. With an unheard of speed, Leo browsed through the games, Alex had a hard time keeping up with him. However they didn't make any sort of purchase as no new games had come out that were especially noteworthy.

After the perusing ended, they exchanged a few bills for coins and decided to try out the arcade. They found an unattended beat-em-up and teamed up.

* * *

><p>Aeris and Jake were both leaving the coffee shop, Jake having just gotten over the shock and excitement of Daisy's note. A grin was plastered on his face as he stared aimless, stuck in his own thoughts. His mind elsewhere, the hybrid didn't notice the person entering the establishment.<p>

"Ow, dammit," Jake cried, stumbling backward after he collided with the man. With his focus being brought back, he realized his own error. "Oh, I'm so sorry," he apologized with sincerity, knowing it was his doing. The man he had ran into looked at Jake for a moment, his eyes moved down to see his feline tail. Within that moment, his face formed into one of fierce anger.

"Watch where you're going split-hide," he jeered, purposely bumping into him shoulder to shoulder as he walked past him. As Aeris expressed shock to what she had just seen, Jake sighed lightly to himself while shaking his head in disappointment. Beckoning to Aeris, they both left, staying in silence for a few minutes.

"Split-hide... that's a new one," Jake mumbled, pondering over what the guy had said to him.

"You... you going to be okay?" Aeris asked, having no idea how to handle that kind of a situation. Jake gave her a questioning look, then chuckling to himself as he caught on.

"That's right, you wouldn't be used to it around Alex would you. That coat of his does a good job at keeping the hateful glares unaware."

"That just seemed so unnecessary," Aeris was still having a hard time understanding it.

"There's no need to figure it out Aeris," he said, keeping a smile toward her. "Nothing we say or do would change people's views anyway, might as well not have it give us a chip on the shoulder. While I'm used to it after my years on the streets, I understand why Alex likes to avoid the conflict. He tries to be more passive, but like anyone else, he can be pushed."

"Must be hard, being hated like that through no fault of your own." Jake just shrugged at her idea, still showing an uncaring attitude toward the subject.

"It's not as bad as you'd think," he said, keeping a casual tone, "we are no more pariahs then any other species that have had long-time bouts with intolerance. Hell, even humans seem to hate each other for their own differences. Hybrids are one of the few cases however where the taboo of hatred is easily justified due to religious background."

"Alex mentioned that, I figured that's why he shows such a jaded attitude to the subject."

"Anyone would. Words written on paper that's thousands of years old is enough to fuel Purist ideals, people who think keeping a pure species is the great truth of some higher power." Jake started laughing. "It's actually very funny to think that Purists can become so detached from reality to think there is such a thing as being pure blooded. Think about it Aeris, think about the many many many years we have existed on this planet. To think that our ancestry never deviated from our own species is moronic. After some time, the gene pool dilutes itself though, hiding away what traits we may have acquired.

"What some people might think is a birthmark in their coat is more likely a hereditary trait passed down by an ancestor who differed from their partner." With another chuckle, he flicked his ear. "You've noticed Alex's ears right? Well, same basic principle, a trait in the Kage family that was brought on due to a chink in the fox chain." He let out a sigh after he said it. "Too bad they could never figure that out... Silver spoon bastards..." Giving him an odd look, Jake quickly noticed Aeris' reaction to what he had said. "Oh, haha, Alex never told you of the distant Kage family, did he? My oh my, you are in for a treat. I'd tell you myself but... well I wouldn't do it justice, as well as bring in my own bias to the topic."

"Distant, as in his grandparents?"

"Grandparents, uncle... cousin... et-cetera. Knowing a bit about them will give a good deal of insight into Alex himself as well." After another puzzled look from Aeris, Jake knew there would have to be more. "Lets just say... they aren't the most positive point in his life."

There was another long silence between both of them. Jake looked to be in deep thought, his eyes appearing distant as he walked.

"Ya know," he finally said, looking at the pink cat, "I'm surprised you aren't too knowledgeable on the subject yourself. If not for the lack of other indications, I would have thought you had some close-split genes as well. Never seen a cat with such an odd coloring."

"Occasionally I get odd looks," Aeris answered, knowing he was talking about her fur, "but it's never been that big of a problem. Especially when I started beating people up for it."

* * *

><p>"But she does it <em>all the time<em>," Leo said, talking with Alex as they continued feeding quarters into the machines, their latest choice being a Contra clone. "I'm like her living punching bag."

"Leo..." Alex started, "you do realize there is a difference between abuse and comeuppance?"

"What!" Leo exclaimed. Alex had to pause for a moment to rub his eyes, completely flabbergasted at how blind the cat was at times.

"Since I've known you, you've made over a dozen jokes about her mother, at least twenty-eight jokes about her being on the rag, and a seemingly endless supply of cracks that have to do with yaoi and vampires, both of which I've learned she is very passionate about. I'd probably pop you one too given the circumstance."

"But... they're funny..." The hybrid gave a slight shrug while tilting a hand back and forth, showing that it was more fifty fifty.

"What I _don't_ understand is the need to do it on your part. You know what will happen and yet ignore the repercussions. Makes me think you're some kind of a masochist."

"A what?" Leo asked.

"Never mind," Alex muttered, figuring that Leo's interests weren't going to be _that_ deep.

After a while longer, the coins were spent and the continues were depleted. They both cracked their exhausted wrists before heading toward the exit.

Leo stopped short however, his eyes had caught something and were now fixated. Following his gaze, Alex eyed a poster advertising an upcoming game that clung to the wall of the store. It depicted a burly man with a blonde flat top haircut, red tank-top, and black sunglasses. The man took up the entire poster with only a small bit of space reserved for the game's actual title, an explosion occurring behind the man made up for the background.

"Duke Nukem Forever..." Leo said, entranced by the poster, his eyes showing a childlike wonderment.

"Not this again," Alex mumbled, waving a hand in front of his face before he would start salivating again.

"It's sooooo close to being out," the gray cat continued, having the same anxious tone that Aeris once had for her own impending game of choice back when they first met the hybrid.

"Hm... I think I remember hearing about this game," Alex said, the name and picturing beginning to ring bells. "Was in development hell for years if I'm not mistaken. Started a lot of arguments between the other employees at the shop about whether the game would be good or not."

"It _will_ be good!" Leo shouted, angered that someone would dare doubt the greatest hero in gaming.

"Calm down, I'm not bad mouthing your hero or anything." Though Leo's glare didn't go away quickly, he seemed to accept it and went back to his stare.

Forcibly dragging the cat from the store, Alex and Leo decided to return to the hotel, hoping that Aeris and Jake would be back. After an uneventful trip, they made it to their room, Aeris was silently reading a book on one side of the room. Jake was watching TV, flipping through the channels to try and find something within the trash. Alex took notice to a tissue he was holding up to his nose, a little smudge of blood stained on the white surface.

"Don't ask," the hybrid muttered when the stares were on him. A 'hmph' from Aeris then followed as she kept her face in her book.

"So..." Leo trailed off. "What's the plan now?" There was a long pause as ideas as to how they should spend the rest of their day couldn't come to any of them.

"Well, the Central Park zoo is always fun," Jake replied, checking his nose to see if it had stopped bleeding.

"Oh, that sounds like fun," Leo said. "It's been a while since we've been to one."

"Isn't there a zoo back home?" Alex asked, as far as he was concerned, one city was the same as any other.

"They shut it down two years ago," Aeris answered, setting her book down. "Some P.E.T.A. guy lost it and shot a bunch of the animals there."

"Wow..."

"Yeah, there were a few field trips going there at the time too... had some traumatized kids."

"Though it was a good year for therapists," Leo added, gaining odd looks from the other three.

* * *

><p>Since there were no better ideas, the zoo plan had won. An easy enough trip. With Jake and Alex knowing the way, it wasn't too much effort to find it.<p>

"This way Leo," Jake said, tugging on the gray cat as they entered the front gates. "They have these monkeys who will throw back anything you give to them." Aeris watched them run off, turning back around to see that Alex was gone as well. Knowing she was just abandoned, Aeris went off on her own to find an interesting exhibit.

Pickings were slim however, most of the animals she passed seemed asleep. While other visitors seemed in awe, Aeris didn't find the creatures quite as captivating. Though she did notice the drastic shift in age between herself and those very visitors, appearing to be hardly old enough to tie their own shoes.

Time seemed to slip by fast however. The sky was already losing it's blue, soon to be replaced with oranges and violets, then finally black. So Aeris continued her search until she could find something of interest.

A familiar fox hybrid was found sitting on a bench overlooking a habitat. Aeris approached him to see what it was, seeing that the exhibit was of a pair of tigers. The thought of it brought a smile to her face.

"Family of yours?" she asked playfully. It was clear his mind was elsewhere, becoming slightly startled at the cat's arrival.

"Oh, Aeris... Enjoying yourself?"

"Not really an animal person," she admitted, taking a seat next to him on the bench.

"Who'd have guessed, especially with your full-time pet." Aeris laughed lightly, understanding what he meant.

"And you? Find any exhibit you like?" Alex shook his head, leaning forward in his seat as he watched the tigers move about.

"These places seem to depress me," he muttered.

"Why is that?" His shoulders raised up slightly then drooped again, showing his mild shrug.

"Just seeing these animals go about their simple lives. Given everything they need but still trapped to be gawked at. Yet they don't seem to care, they seem content with it all."

"I don't think they can grasp what content is Alex," Aeris responded.

"Maybe not, but they still have it. Can't help but feel envious because of it."

"With contentedness? You don't seem like the needy type."

"It's not limited to material need. Other parts of life effect it too. Things you can't let go of, things you just can't accept..."

"Like what exactly?" A brief pause in their conversation, Alex locked in a deep thought. After a moment, he was about to answer. But then an interruption from a black furred hybrid brought their attention away from their current chat.

"So how's it going you two?" Jake asked, sticking his head between them both from behind the bench.

"Can't complain," Aeris replied, slightly agitated by the sudden interruption. Seeing Leo, she noticed him rubbing his forehead tenderly. "What happened to you?"

"Ah, one of the monkeys got him good with a rock," Jake answered, looking sympathetically toward the feline. "Mean little bastards."

"You were the one who threw the rock at _them_," Leo grumbled.

"Yeah... animals don't like me very much. Went to the penguin habitat too, I think one of them tried giving me the finger... Man this place has really gone to hell."

"Maybe it's just you," Alex said, growing a smirk.

"It's my powerful magnetism," Jake replied boastfully, "those alphas get jealous." The hybrid caught sight of the dimming sky and looked down at his watch. "Oh dear," he sounded worried, "it's already eight..."

"Something the matter," Alex asked, seeing Jake get frantic.

"Yea-yeah, it'll be all fine," Jake answered, mumbling to himself. "Okay so I'll just have two hours... sure, sure that's enough time..." He then turned to his companions with an uneasy smile. "So... sorry for the abrupt ending on my part but... I've got an important engagement and I've lost track of time. You guys leave tomorrow if I'm not mistaken, I'll be sure to see you off for a farewell." Giving a short wave goodbye, Jake bolted off for the exit at an amazing speed, leaving his friends standing there confused.

"What was that about..." Alex muttered, mostly rhetorically.

"You don't want to know," Aeris said, shaking her head slightly and gaining an even more confused look from the other two.

Seeing the time for themselves, they decided to go back to the hotel. Though it wasn't too late, an early turn-in would do them better for the following morning.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So yeah, chapter twelve is finally up. Sorry once again for the long wait. Really, this chapter has been a pain in the ass for me.**

**Honestly, I've had to of done this chapter at least five different times, constantly deleting a portion of it because there was something wrong with it. So many different scenarios and I just hated all of it and a massive block for so much of it. I swear I hit the delete key so much that I'm sure it's broken. I think I've even developed an involuntary twitch in my eye... (twitchy-twitch)**

**Also, yes I know the Duke Nukem reference is kind of... late... Trust me though, as I mentioned waaaaaay back in chapter one, this story has been in work for a while. And the game plays a bit of a role in a later chapter... **


	13. Words To Regret

**Chapter 13: Words To Regret**

The morning went by with zero complaints from the three friends.

Each woke up, showered, and dressed themselves without missing a beat. From there, a wonderful breakfast was served to them downstairs with each bite savored as their last in the American city.

"Seems like we haven't done very much while we were here," Aeris pointed out. As they thought on it, it seemed as though she was right.

"Well," Alex said, "this city isn't much different then our own back in Canada. At least there we have less of a chance to be mugged by some junkie. Trips are more about the change in venue anyway."

"Maybe," Aeris muttered, finishing her breakfast.

Afterward, they returned to their room, packed their bags and checked out of the hotel.

Rather then take a taxi, they decided to walk, taking in the last sights of the city as slowly as possible. Even with the cons of a crowded city, a sense of peace still existed within the jungle of concrete and steel.

Their sightseeing continued to spend hours with Alex occasionally pointing out a place he remembered from his own time in the city. But as midday was ending and the evening hours were approaching, they finally found a taxi and headed off toward the airport. Once again, their arrival was early by a few hours. A surprise was waiting for them as well, a black furred hybrid relaxing just outside the building.

"Ah, you're finally here," Jake said, a large grin seemingly frozen on his face.

"How..." Aeris began, not expecting him in the least.

"I figured you guys would get here early," Jake answered, chuckling slightly at the reasons. As they stood there, an odd scent began filling their sense of smell. Almost immediately Aeris scrunched up her nose in disgust.

"What is that stink?" she asked, feeling her nostrils starting to burn. Alex leaned in closer to Jake and sniffed.

"Smells like that bottle of cologne you have called 'Morning After'..." Alex answered, heaving a sigh as he stared at his friend. "And I suppose that explains yesterday, god you're predictable."

"Something came up," Jake shrugged, "and you know what they say about looking a gift horse in the mouth." He began laughing at his joke, while Aeris was the only one of the three to understand the context.

"Well, it was good meeting ya Jake," Leo said happily, knowing they were preparing their farewells.

"Yes... I know... sniff sniff," Jake replied, faking a scene of great sadness and wiping away nonexistent tears. "Goodbyes are just so difficult!"

"You've said it plenty of times to women," Alex said offhandedly, earning a shocked gasp from the wolf crossbreed.

"Ah, right below the belt, that's not very nice."

"Yeah yeah... Really though Jake," muttered Alex, crossing his arms as he tried keeping his full composure, "despite the obvious... you-ness... it is good to have seen you again." A smile was brought to Jake's face at the words, causing the wolf-hybrid to grab hold of his friend in a spine shattering hug. Physically lifting him off of his feet.

"Aw, you just say the sweetest things," Jake said with a laugh, dropping the fox-hybrid as he began to wince in pain. Before he could even recover though, he was pulled closer to his friend to be given a hushed whisper. "Seriously though Alex, you _really_ need to get yourself some tail. You're waaaaay to tensed up. And knowing how prudish you are, I highly doubt you've been... servicing yourself either. God, you're probably pint up enough you'd need Kevlar for protection..."

Alex stared at his friend for a moment, slightly agape. Then, with a one of his largest sighs yet, he pinched the spot between his eyes before giving his friend a flat look.

"Really?" he asked, bewildered. "Haven't seen each other in so long, and _that's_ the note you wish to say goodbye on?"

"Eh," Jake replied with a shrug, "I'd say good advice among friends is perfect. How about me then?"

"I don't know... Try not to catch anything?"

"Ah ha ha, clever bastard aren't you. Anyway, it won't be goodbye for long, I'll plan my own little trip to that quaint little country of yours, raise some hell and see how things are up north."

"That sounds awesome," Leo said with enthusiasm.

"Don't encourage him," Alex grumbled, knowing full well what such a visit would entail.

"You have the exact spirit Alex needs right now Leo," Jake said, addressing the gray cat. "Hopefully some of that attitude will rub off. And it _was_ great meeting the two of you," he gave a friendly grip to Leo's hand before turning to Aeris. "And big thanks to you Sis," he said with a wink.

"Sure thing," she answered, showing a great deal less enthusiasm compared to Leo. Aeris held out her hand for a goodbye shake but Jake looked at her disappointingly.

"Now that is no way to say goodbye to your brother." With a devilish grin, he grabbed her hand and pulled her forward. With the sudden surprise, she couldn't react as the wolf-hybrid gave a quick kiss on her cheek. It was only a moments peck however as Jake quickly withdrew to narrowly dodge a swing by an infuriated Aeris. "See ya guys later!" Jake called out, running away from the impending murder scene with a laugh and short wave.

"Ya know..." Alex muttered, taking a step back as it looked like Aeris was about to light everything on fire with her anger, "I don't even want to know what that was about..." With a turn, he headed toward the airport's front doors.

"We don't leave for another few hours," Leo called after him.

"Yup," Alex replied knowingly, not missing a step as he entered.

* * *

><p>After a few threatening words from Aeris, still miffed about the hybrid with a death wish, it was made clear that Leo would conduct himself differently when going through the security of the airport.<p>

Without a hitch, both cats made it through and were able to move about freely as they waited for their plane. They then noticed that their third was missing. After looking back the way that they came, they could see Alex being escorted out of the security line and disappearing in a room off to the side.

For what seemed like an eternity, the two cats sat down and waited for Alex. All sorts of people came and went as the clock ticked by. Eventually, Alex finally made it to them. Aeris looked at the time to see, much like last time, his arrival was a mere minutes before they would need to board.

"I hate it when I'm right," Alex growled, his head hung down and shoulders slumped.

Getting on the plane was much like it was before. Everything went by as easily as it could, with Alex's fears beginning to rise as he settled in his seat.

After everyone was settled and the plane began the usual procedures, the hybrid's breathing intensified. Aeris noticed but was quick to tolerate it as she understood where the anxiety was coming from. Still, to think that someone like Alex would be so frightened of anything seemed strange. Then again, most everyone was afraid of something.

"_I bet Jake's fear is commitment_," Aeris thought to herself, laughing on the inside at the idea.

The trip back home lasted for several hours. With the time the plane departed, night had fallen and the sky was a black nothingness. The two cats fell asleep from the stationary boredom while Alex kept wide awake, for obvious reasons.

When the plane landed, everyone was quick to wanting off, none more then the crossbreed. Grabbing their bags and leaving the airport, Aeris Leo and Alex all stood outside for a moment and took in the feeling of returning home.

Leo dozed off again during the cab ride to their apartment. Though the day felt a bit wasted, Alex was also having trouble keeping his eyes open. With the feeling of solid ground under him, he was eager to get back to a comfortable bed.

* * *

><p>The next day brought back the mundane routine that they were used to. With the day spent in front of the TV and playing games, with very little else on their minds. However, when night fell, there was something new that had yet to be experienced since the two felines befriended the hybrid.<p>

Aeris woke with a fright, the darkness of her room being the first thing to greet her. The last moments of a thundering boom quickly faded from existence. Rubbing her eyes, Aeris groaned slightly. Having heard the forecast earlier, she had hoped the storm would either happen much later or that she would atleast be able to sleep through it.

Loud thudding could be heard inside the apartment, the sound of hundreds of rain drops slamming into the building all at once with no indication of stopping.

Another crackle of thunder sounded off, making the pink cat jump on the spot. Growling angrily, she got out of bed and headed for the kitchen. Fixing herself a glass of water, she drenched her drying throat and splashed a small amount onto her face.

Aeris wasn't quite sure why she was afraid of a simple noise in the sky. But every skyward explosion sent a momentary surge of fear through her body. It angered her greatly, partly from the embarrassment of having such a childlike state, as well as the lack of sleep she would now have due to it. Tomorrow would be hell for the three of them, Aeris herself because of how cranky she'll be, Leo and Alex because they'll be caught in the crossfire of it.

Returning to her room, her ears perked up as she heard an odd noise. Finding the source, she stood in front of the shut door to Alex's room. Pressing her ear against it, the same sounds could be heard much more clearly. Curiosity kicking in, Aeris quietly entered the room.

It took a great deal of effort not to gag as she saw the inside. Alex clearly wasn't a decorator. Though it being poorly decorated wasn't the problem, it was the severe lack of it. Plain white walls glared at her from all sides, the carpet spanned out fully and the entire room seemed three times too big for the apartment.

Only a few of the boxes Alex had brought with him were put away on the farthest side of the room. The closet, of course, had his clothes in it, though it would be impossible to say his wardrobe varied. Nothing else was in the room except for the bed tucked back in a corner with a hybrid's sleeping body on top

"N-no... NO..." he mumbled in his unconscious state. "...do it... bastards!..." A worried look crossed Aeris as she could see Alex curled up in the bed, his body periodically twitching, his breathing had become heavy and rapid. Alex's face was tensed in a look of anger. Continuously muttering words, Aeris couldn't understand a single thing he was forcing out. But what she could see was that whatever he was experiencing, it certainly wasn't pleasant.

"Alex... Alex..." Aeris whispered, lightly shaking him in an attempt to pull him out of his sleep. But it didn't work. It seemed to make things worse. Alex began trembling, his words grew more frantic and it appeared he was beginning to hyperventilate. Beginning to panic, Aeris did the first thing that came to mind, giving him a quick swipe across his back with her claws.

"Ah!," Alex yelled out as he was brought back to the waking world. "A-Aeris?..." His heavy breaths slowly died down as he cringed from the pain that was now throbbing in his back. "What... what the hell are you doing?"

"I heard noises coming from your room, and you looked like you were having one hell of a nightmare," she answered, still slightly worried about what had just happened. Alex looked more angry then gracious however.

"A bad dream? That's it? You didn't have to cut my back open for that." Though his words said he was writing it off, Aeris could see a great deal of stress within his eyes as he looked at her.

Just then, new explosion of sound filled the room, Aeris shuddered noticeably. Having seen her reaction, a smirk showed up on Alex's face.

"A little frightened, huh," he said. The memory of Aeris mentioning her own little fear was brought back to him. Alex could also see the distraught look on her face and felt sympathetic.

There was an old book Alex remembered reading on different phobias and how some can be dealt with. Though it was a long time ago since he had seen it, having only read it after finding his own spine tingling fear.

"Ya know," he said with a yawn, "most fears are easy to tolerate when you have someone with you to help deal with it.." Hoping it was enough to console her, Alex relaxed back in his bed to try and fall back asleep. But after a few moments, the hybrid could still feel a presence next to him. His eyes then cracked open as it had just dawned on him exactly what he had just said. Alex looked up at the still present Aeris, biting her lower lip as the anxiety built.

"Uh..." Aeris muttered with an obvious awkwardness. She didn't need to say anything though, Alex could see it in her eyes. A request that bordered on necessity.

"Oh. Um... Heh. Yeah, as much as I'd like to help Aeris... I _really_ wouldn't be all that comfortable with it... and uh... you know... Hey, maybe you can go see if Leo-" Alex was quickly cut off as another blast of thunder sounded. Again, Aeris felt a quick jab of startled fear and in a flash, the pink cat pushed Alex to one side of the bed while she took the other, shoving Alex's nose in wall. Already, the feeling of someone else being there calmed her wrecked nerves.

"Goodnight," she whispered, quickly beginning to doze off.

Alex however wasn't as relaxed. His muscles were tensed to the point that they could snap like twigs at any moment. The fur on the back of his neck was standing on end while he pressed his front as close to the wall his bed was against as he could. Sweat started to build up on his brow as he made as much distance as possible between himself and his new bunk mate. His eyes strained as he stared wide eyed at the white paint of the wall. Uncomfortable was mild to what he was feeling now, the added irritation of his tender back didn't help in the slightest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Lucky number thirteen bitches YEAH. Finally got them out of New York, seemed to drag on forever... **

**As usual, hope everyone is enjoying the story. Didn't take a long wait to do this one, hopefully I can keep it up and get chapters done even faster.**


	14. Another Side

**Chapter 14: Another Side**

Alex began to stir, his mind slowly waking from its sleep.

The world around him began to appear to his now conscious mind. The soft mattress he rested on, the stillness of the air, the heavy silence, and the touch of someone lying next to him.

The hybrid's mind turned to a full alert as his senses fully grasped the foreign sensation. Tensing his body and sending a cold shiver through the depths of his spine, Alex became aware of the previous night and realized the only logical conclusion, Aeris.

A soft push of air continuously brushed the back of his neck, causing more tremors of ice into his backbone. With a great deal of effort, Alex slunk downward in a vertical motion to slip off the bed at the foot.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Alex looked down at his bed to see Aeris still asleep. His own departure didn't seem to disturb her in the slightest and comparing to where he was originally, he could see what had surprised him. Having apparently rolled over in her sleep, the pink cat had cleared the gap Alex had worked so hard to keep between them. Her hands were held up, bringing them directly up to his back. The only sound in the room was her light breathing, her position being just high enough to reach where his neck was.

Alex's flesh crawled as he remembered the strange sensation of it. Rubbing the spot with a soft touch, he couldn't shake an odd sense of longing.

With a quick shake of his head, the hybrid cleared his senses of it and began stretching out his back. Snaps and cracks sounded off as he bent his muscles, taut due to his awkward sleeping position. After one final move of his neck, relieving a painful crick, Alex moved to exit his room. A single moment spared to look back at Aeris who was still peacefully asleep.

Outside his room, Alex found Leo sitting in the kitchen. Loud, unnecessary slurps could be heard as he ate a bowl of cereal. The hybrid was slightly surprised by it, usually beating the two cats when it came to getting up in the morning. Brushing it off, Alex moved into the kitchen to see to his own needs.

"Morning," Alex greeted, moving toward the coffee maker to find a pitcher had already been made.

"Mopheng," Leo tried saying as a mouth full of milk and cereal bits spilled out onto the table.

Alex merely shook his head as took a drink from his coffee, immediately spitting out the foul liquid.

"Oh God," he said in disgust, "this is cold!" Waiting a moment to swallow this time, Leo nodded toward the microwave clock.

"Well," he replied, "it _was_ made a while ago." Matching his gaze, the small digital clock clearly read ten past twelve.

Alex stared at the clock in shock. The hybrid couldn't remember the last time he had ever slept in that late. Always being an early riser, he wasn't one to sleep more then he was physically required to. What could have possibly caused such a change?

"W-why are you eating cereal this late?" Alex asked, turning to Leo. With just a shrug, he tipped the bowl and drank the remaining milk, finishing with a smack of his lips.

"I would have woken you up, but I figured you must have been having a good sleep or something. Didn't want to ruin it for you."

"Right," Alex muttered, using the microwave to heat up his drink.

"Hey, what happened to your back?" Leo asked, seeing the wound as the hybrid turned.

"Oh yeah," he said, remembering how he acquired it the night before.

"Aeris?" the cat asked.

"Aeris," he nodded.

"Anyway," Leo continued, "I guess you wouldn't know where Aeris went off to either. She never woke up this morning and her room is empty. No note either, that's kind of strange for her."

"Oh," Alex answered, preparing to take a sip from his now hot coffee. "Actually, she's asleep in my room right now."

There was a moment where the gray cat seemed to freeze in time. His limited intellect pausing to process the words he had just received. After a moment had passed, a large grin stretched across his face as he looked at Alex slyly.

"Ohhhh, I see. Surprising, you haven't even been here that long. Figured it would take a while longer for you two to shack up."

Unfortunately, Alex caught on to what the cat was getting at. Suddenly lurching forward, Alex let out a hacking cough as half of his latest sip of coffee was sucked down the wrong tube.

"W-what!" he managed to croak out, his throat feeling like he had just swallowed hot coals.

"What?" Leo asked innocently. "It's not as though I _assumed_ it'd happen... But _if_ it were to happen, I figured that it would at least take longer then the short time we've had you staying here." Alex just stared at Leo, disbelief being the only thing he could show as the silence built.

"Good god Leo," he finally said, shaking his head. "Just... just... COME ON. To immediately assume such a thing, with absolutely zero validity."

"Excuse me?" Leo said, now showing his own disbelief. "You come in here like you are now." He held up two fingers as he said it. "You slept in, obviously exhausted from last night and having such a _good_ _time_ with it. Plus the fact she left scratches on you, a tell-tale sign." Leo's smirk returned as he crossed his arms, giving a know-it-all look. "Not to mention she's still in your bed."

The air in the apartment suddenly grew still, Alex's mindset was shattered in that very instant as Leo laid out his logic. It wasn't because of the outlandish claims he was making either, but because of how much sense it all made. Even more disturbing was Leo's ability to deduce it based on the evidence. Leo, the dull witted feline who once tried using his own invented currency because he was short on cash.

Alex sat down as the room felt like it was spinning. Taking a few deep breaths, he calmed his nerves and tried to explain to Leo the events of the night before.

"Oh," Leo said, beginning to understand, "so it was just a dream and... Ohhh, and because of the thunder... Oh I see..."

"Good," Alex said with a relived sigh. "Haven't you ever seen her react badly to thunder since you've known her?"

"Not really," the gray cat replied. "I never notice. And usually if it happens at night, I'll find out about it in the morning. She gets crabby and likes to hit me harder then usual."

"Hm," Alex muttered, scratching his muzzle. "Well, I guess breakfast is out for me. Might as well move to lunch." He grabbed the phone and began dialing. "Think I'll order a pizza."

"Yeah!" Leo exclaimed. "Pizza sounds great." Alex gave him a strange look.

"Didn't you _just_eat a bowl of cereal?"

"And?" After rolling his eyes, Alex dialed the number to the local pizza shop.

"I suppose it'll be half anchovies on your side?" he asked, smiling slightly. The stereotype joke brought an annoyed glare from Leo.

"Just the usual meats," he responded. "Ham, sausage, pepperoni."

"Ah, good man." There was a pause as the phone rang several times. A woman finally picked up and greeted him. Ordering a large as to have enough for all three of them, he was surprised to hear that they weren't making deliveries today. "Damn it," he cursed to himself, hanging up the phone. "They won't deliver, I'll have to go pick it up."

"I wanna go too," Leo chimed in. "I really don't want to be alone when Aeris wakes up."

"Fine. Let's go now though, the pizza will be finished by the time we get there." Writing a quick note for Aeris, Alex and Leo both headed out the door.

* * *

><p>"Do ya get it?" Leo asked. "It's like Subway, but with anal!" The gray feline laughed joyfully at his latest joke. The pretense once again being about Aeris' mother.<p>

Alex however didn't laugh. A silent, dread filled groan escaped him. Looking at the pizza they had just obtained from the shop, the idea of bashing his head in with it was sounding sweeter and sweeter.

"And you expect me to show sympathy when Aeris beats you..." Alex replied.

"Hey, she does it when I don't do anything too."

"I've yet to see it."

They then started to walk in silence. Their own footsteps being the only sound between them both. Alex's attention was split at the moment, just as it had been on the way over to the pizza shop. His eyes continuously darted to look at Leo, who was either talking about some nonsense the hybrid could easily drown out or looking about the area in a blissful wonderment.

But something just didn't sit right with him. Leo's reaction to hearing about him and Aeris spending the night as they did. The immediate conclusion he had come up with, as well as the reaction to said conclusion. It was all too unreal in Alex's own mind. It was too simple, too friendly. Aeris was after all Leo's greatest friend, sharing a bond with her that he would with no one else.

And it wasn't as though Leo was joking about it either, there was no falsehoods in his accusation, no doubt in his mind. And yet Leo just laughed at the hybrid, busting his chops in a manner that reminded him of how his old friend Jake would react given the situation. Having actually experienced it on one, very emotionally scarring, occasion.

The memory of their conversation in New York came back to him. What Leo had said about himself and Aeris, what Alex had taken from it. Though the feline had explained that there were no romantic feelings between either of them, Alex could see how protective he was of her. Also seeing the acceptance Leo had with the idea that, someday, someone might come that does bring those feelings to light. All Leo seemed to want was for Aeris to be happy because of it.

It made Alex think though. If Leo was so easygoing about the previous misunderstanding, what did that mean for Leo's opinion of the fox-hybrid? Well, Alex learned a long time ago that the best way to find something out was to simply ask.

"Leo..." Alex finally said, earning his attention. "Back at the apartment... when you thought that, well... Aeris and I were..."

"Intimate?"

"Uh, y-yeah... that. You just seemed so... I don't know, _okay_ with it." Looking at him rather oddly, Leo gained a smile..

"What? You think I'd be jealous or something?"

"Well no, not exactly. Maybe betrayed, furious, something more along those lines." Alex let out a heavy sigh. "Being Jake's friend has afforded me many opportunities to see the depths of someone's relationship with someone else. I've seen many cases much like yourself that would turn to a firestorm after the introduction of a possible 'friend' that fulfills the more... physical needs in a relationship. There's always heartbreak... and it quickly turns to anger." Alex laughed lightly at the thought. "Then again, Jake's usual motto in the situation is if the soil isn't being threaded on, then the field is free game." Leo was silent for a moment, giving a look of thought as he remained still.

"It's not so much my decision anyway, it's Aeris'. She is capable of her own choices, and I've told you, I don't think about her like that. And besides, you're a nice guy, you two seems to like and hate some of the same things. Plus the fact she doesn't seem to hit you on a daily basis. And I suppose, when compared to Jake, you're certainly more stable." The gray cat wrapped a friendly hand across his back to the other side of his shoulder. "You're alright in my book."

"Huh," Alex blinked, having not expected such an answer. Acceptance. It was a feeling he wasn't particularly acquainted with. Though it wasn't like he was hoping for Leo's blessing in trying to win over Aeris or that he had any intentions to attempt to bring anything out of their currently sound friendship, but it certainly felt good to know where Leo's thoughts were.

"Oh no... not him." Alex's train of thought was cut off by Leo's moan.

Leo's ears and tail dropped down as he looked far out in front of them. Following his gaze, Alex found what was getting to him.

A distance away, a cop walked down toward them on the same sidewalk. A human with broad shoulders and a great height. Though Alex didn't have much experience with the police of Canada, he was certain they weren't far from the pigs he encountered in the states.

"What's wrong with him?" Alex asked, not seeing anything relatively threatening or foreboding about the man.

"He's a complete asshole," Leo said in a harsh whisper, as though the cop could hear them despite the large distance between them. "Once he attacked me and Aeris because he didn't like the games we had bought at the shop! And this one other time, he shot at us and then arrested me because I left my I.D. back home!"

"Arrested? How did you get out of that?" Leo only gave a shrug, not knowing the answer. Chuckling slightly, Alex looked back at the cop who was almost upon them. "Well don't worry," he said reassuringly. "Just ignore him, and keep moving."

Continuing their walk, the cop didn't seem to pay them any mind as they came closer together. Not missing a step, the cop and Leo crossed paths and kept going. But as he met with Alex, a hard shoulder to shoulder bump caused the hybrid to stumble, dropping the pizza in the process. The cop then stopped in his tracks, turned, and stared directly at the pizza box.

"OH... MY... GAWD," he shouted in a panicked tone.

"Hey, watch it," Alex said in annoyance. The cop kept his eyes glued to the fallen food product.

"What is that!" he again shouted, pointing a finger down at it.

"Uh... our lunch..." Alex replied casually. Leo seemed to show a twinge of fear at the man but Alex was nowhere near intimidated by an oaf in a blue uniform.

"It looks like litter to me," the cop said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"You made me drop it when you bumped into me, _sir_." The last word came out strained, as though it physically hurt him to say it.

"I'm writing you a ticket all the same." The cop then pulled out a booklet of paper and began writing down on it.

"What!" Alex exclaimed. "Listen officer, I don't know who you think you are b-"

"Officer David Bagge," the cop said, indicating the name tag he wore. "Best of the best in this wonderful city." A smirk appeared on Alex's mouth as he looked at the tag.

"Officer D. Bagge... heh, nice name." Officer Bagge gave the hybrid a stern look, his hand beginning to write at a much faster pace.

"Here," he said, yanking on the ticket paper and handing it to Leo. "Good thing I already know your info."

"What," Leo said in astonishment, seeing his own name written on it rather then Alex's. "But he-"

"Is there a problem cat?" Officer Bagge asked, looking Leo right in the eye.

"N-no."

"Good," he turned to Alex. "Now pick that filth up before I wright you another one."

With a sneer, Alex knelt down to retrieve the fallen pizza. Showing a grin as he watched him, the officer stomped down hard on the hybrid's tail, causing Alex to yelp in pain.

"Heh heh, oops," Bagge said with a laugh. Alex looked up at him, a furious look in his eyes as a growl started forming in the back of his throat. "I should really wright you a ticket for disturbing the peace now too. But I think I'll be a nice guy and leave you with the one. Have a nice day now."

Officer Bagge then walked off, a smug look on his face. But he didn't make it far, a well placed foot hooked his own, yanking his feet out from under him. There was the heavy sense of gravity taking hold as he fell, his eyes coming closer and closer to the ground. Again, his motion was stopped when a certain hybrid quickly moved to the Officer's side and brought a knee straight into his gut. Sputtering out a pained cough, Bagge was pushed in the complete opposite direction, landing on his back with a loud thud.

With the wind knocked out of him, he gasped for breath, trying to fill his emptied lungs. As he tried getting up, Alex pushed his foot down onto his chest, keeping him pressed down to the sidewalk.

"Ya know," Alex said, looking at his fingers with disinterest, "I had a _real_bad problem with the cops back where I used to live too. They were much like you actually. Nothing but lazy, abusive, pathetic fucks!" Alex's face had changed now, twisted into a look of a crazed fury. The Officer looked into his eyes with horror, seeing an inferno of rage that threatened to engulf him.

"You abuse what little power you think you have! Moving about with a corrupted sense of duty, thinking your little badge makes you some kind of a god... Well, I can easily show you what your so called power really amounts to, what power _really_looks like!" Alex pushed his foot down harder on the cop's chest. His claws had extended, looking like knives on his fingertips as he moved them closer to Bagge's face.

"P-please," he begged, his fear filled eyes now locked onto the claws that were coming ever so closer.

"Now," Alex said, his voice never losing his command, "you are going to leave Leo alone from now on, the same goes for Aeris. Got that?"

"Y-yes," Bagge answered.

"Good. And I swear, if I ever catch even the hint that you are fucking with either of them... I'll find you and make you wish you suffered from horrible, unimaginable pain each and every day rather then what I'm prepared to do to you!" Alex then grabbed the ticket Leo still held, crumpled it up and dropped it on the downed officer. "And pick up your fucking trash!" Then Alex removed his foot. The moment he was able, Officer Bagge got up and bolted off in the opposite direction, fear pushing him faster then he had ever run before in his life. His anger subsiding, Alex bent down and picked up the pizza, checking it to see that it was still fine.

Looking back to his friend, Alex could see Leo petrified. His eyes were as big as dinner plates while his mouth was agape. After a moment of stillness, the gray cat started to laugh hysterically.

"Hahaha, D-Bagge, _now_ I get it."

* * *

><p>Aeris stretched out her body in satisfaction. Taking in every joints crack with pleasure as her well rested state made her feel wonderful. As her eyes fully adjusted to her surroundings, there was a momentary sense of surprise as she saw that she wasn't in her own room.<p>

It took only a second for her to remember the night before, the booming thunder, the pounding fear, and the warming comfort. With a simple glance to her side, she saw the empty place beside her, a perfect fit for a certain hybrid. A feeling of disappointment crossed her for a moment.

The pink cat peeked through the door, opening it just a crack to see past. She had to make sure Leo didn't catch her. While she had nothing to really hide, she knew she wouldn't hear the end of it from the gray fool, even if she did beat him to submission to make him stop.

But the apartment was empty, not a single trace of another cat or even a hybrid in sight.

The note on the table caught her eye quickly. It simply explained that the duo had left for lunch, giving her a heads up to not eat if she wanted any. Aeris could immediately tell who wrote it, Leo's hand writing was atrociously obvious. The note itself was well written despite the clear haste and simplicity of it, the penmanship was excellent. Yet another trait of the hybrid that seemed odd given the past he had explained to them.

With Alex in mind, Aeris remembered back to the night before. She wasn't exactly sure why she even did what she did. But for some reason, she did find solace in knowing how close he was, as if to protect her.

She smiled as she thought back to Alex's own reaction to her. How easily flustered and nervous he had become, even before she dozed off it was clear how tensed he had gotten to her presence. A light giggle escaped her as she thought of all the fun she could have with him, how she could tease him even more for her own amusement. Something she never could do with Leo, nor did she want to, but with Alex it sounded quite fun to her.

The front door then opened, the two boys walked in, pizza in hand.

"Pizza's here," Leo said, heading for the fridge to grab a drink.

"Good evening," Aeris said to Alex as he passed. The hybrid stopped in his tracks as he noticed her.

"Oh... um.. Yeah, good, uh, evening," he replied. Quickly shuffling his feet, Alex made his way into the kitchen and reached for plates, turning his back to hide his involuntary frown.

Aeris smiled inwardly, already imagining all of the devious fun she could have.

* * *

><p>Later on, as the day slowed down, Alex decided to head out to check their mail. Leo, being the talkative cat he is, used the time to blab about what had occurred during their trip for the pizza.<p>

"So the cop was all like, 'HAHAHA', but Alex was like 'GRRRRR'. _But then_, Alex went off with a kersmack and bam. So the cop changed to like 'oof' because Alex went all 'RAW' so he then was like 'ahhh' while Alex continued being all 'RAW'." Leo explained what had happened in his usual over energetic manner, flailing his arms about to add to his theatrics.

"Um... okay..." Aeris said, obviously not understanding a thing he had just said.

With an annoyed grunt, Leo explained what had happened again. Only this time, he used real words so Aeris was quick to understand the situation.

"So... he just attacked him?" The idea of Alex getting violent like that seemed sketchy.

"Yeah," Leo nodded, "then the cop just ran off. I think he might have pissed himself too."

"Are you sure you're telling the truth Leo? Or are you just making things up again?"

"I swear, Alex went all psycho on that cop's ass."

Again, the thought just seemed too far-fetched for her liking.

"Well," she concluded, "despite his attitude, that cop was a bit of a pushover. I could see things looking worse then they were for you Leo." The gray cat could still tell he wasn't being fully believed with his story.

"But he-," Leo tried saying, being stopped as Alex walked through the front door, envelops in hand.

"Finally got my last paycheck from that damn shop," the hybrid muttered, flipping through more of the mail. "Hey, it looks like there's one from that Pantsman guy you're friends with."

"Give it here," Aeris said, trying to hank the paper from his grasp. Alex was quicker however, side stepping her and opening the letter himself.

As he looked down at the paper, he took out a small rectangular piece of paper.

"Looks like a check," he muttered, looking at the amount. His eyes widened the moment he laid eyes on it. "Oh my god... That... That's a lot of money..." Aeris snatched the paper from him in his surprised state.

"That's none of your business," Aeris said, the irony not being lost on her about a similar occurrence were the roles between them had been reversed.

"B-but, wow. What's with the cash? I didn't think being a superhero could bring so much in. And why in the world is he sending you guys a check?"

"It's from our job," Aeris answered, tucking the check away in her pocket.

"What job? Since I've been here I haven't seen you work a day."

"Well, we don't do it as much these days. But we do get checks every now and then from it."

"From what?" Alex had no idea what she was referring to and the mystery of it was beginning to drive him crazy. Aeris let out a sigh before turning to Leo.

"Well Leo," she said, "I guess he might as well see it now. He will have to eventually."

With an excited nod, he followed Aeris to the far end of the apartment, where the bedrooms were. There, the stopped at the fourth door. Alex was told that the apartment was to accommodate up to four residents, but he had never seen what the fourth one was being used for.

Aeris opened the door, Alex's jaw immediately slacked as he peered inside.

The room was set up like a large closet, bars ran across the top of the room for hangers to be set. But it was what was on those rails that caught his attention. Costumes, of all shapes sizes and colors. Alex was amazed at the detail and imagination put into them, costumes of many different characters from video games, all slightly modified to fit someone with long ears and a tail.

From Mario's overalls to Master Chief's armor, it was all there. Even appropriate accessories hung on the walls. Link's Master Sword, Samus' arm blaster, even an assortment of guns from the many shooters that dotted the market.

"Wha..." Alex was rendered speechless. Never before had he seen anything like it. Like out of a nerd's wet dream, he could only stare.

"Yeah well..." Aeris explained, looking slightly embarrassed by the collection. "Sco- er... I mean Pantsman, is actually a pretty good photographer. He would have us dress up as a certain character and we would pose for him to get certain shots. Afterward, he'd put them together and make a comic out of it. Sometimes we use our own personal experiences when playing games to help come up with ideas. Occasionally he even gets help from other people we know, but it's usually just us."

"Wow," Alex said, showing a smirk, "I had no idea I was living with celebrities."

"Well, they do get a pretty good amount of views. The money we get from it isn't bad either, it's allowed us to not have to get real jobs."

"Yup it's totally awesome," Leo said with an ecstatic smile. The gray feline took a light saber from a Darth Vader costume, swinging it about gleefully.

Alex looked at both of his friends and couldn't help but smile. They were certainly the most interesting cats he had ever seen.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Not too bad of a length if I do say so myself.**

**Few things are going on here as well. A bit of a reference to the VGC animated series there, not much of anything but I think it fit well.**

**And yes, I did make up a name for the asshole cop just so I could make a crappy joke with it. But how it's spelled is actually another reference. I won't say what it is though, because if you don't know it, you have my sympathies... BUT if you do know it, then many many internets for you. I will say this though. Based on his name, it's obvious he's more of a dog person... (cough)**

**I also put together my own little idea to a VG cats universe explanation at the end there. Though I think it'd make more sense if you didn't think about it...**


	15. When the Leo's Away

**Chapter 15: When the Leo's Away...**

"Aaaaaaaand done," Aeris said with joy, hitting save on her document for the final time.

The pink cat happily rubbed her eyes, releaving the sleep strain they were on. Her morning had begun over an hour ago but she was determined to put the finishing touches on her latest story and proof-read the text to finally end it.

Though she had worked on it all throughout the previous night, experience had taught her to look for mistakes with a rested mind. A yawn escaped her as she realized just how little sleep she had gotten, but she ignored it as the welling joy of her completed work outweighed any insomnia she may have.

A sudden craving for caffeine caused Aeris to put away the laptop and head for the kitchen.

In the living room, she could see Alex resting on the couch with the TV in his sights.

They acknowledged one another before Aeris went into the kitchen, relieved that there was a still warm pot waiting for her.

As she sipped from her mug, something on the table caught her eye. It was a note. Aeris recognized the handwriting as Leo's as soon as she spotted the first word.

'Gone for the day. Went with Ternaldo to do... uh... something, yeah.

Probably won't be back until tomorrow, very important... stuff to be done. Mostly helping Ternaldo with, uh... his game collection.

It's not important, you wouldn't care anyway.

-Leo'

There were a few places on the note that were scribbled out, apparent changes to the choice of words. Aeris could easily tell that Leo was up to something. But the note was right, she really didn't care. So long as it had nothing to do with her anyway.

"Why did he write in the pauses..." Alex muttered, reading the note over Aeris' shoulder. The feline was momentarily startled at his sudden appearance behind her but simply sighed as she tossed the note into the trash.

"Because it's Leo," she answered. Alex thought for a moment and shrugged, realizing it was better not to question it.

"So who is this Ternaldo, friend of yours?"

"God no," she said. "He's _Leo's_ friend." She had a great loathing for the annoying creature. Then again, she pretty much hated all of the people in Leo's circle of idiots. Pantsman being an exception, mostly because he payed the bills. "You probably wouldn't like him either."

"Why? What's he like?"

"Well, what's your opinion on card games?"

"They aren't bad," Alex shrugged, "depends on the mood."

"Really?" Aeris couldn't picture Alex playing anything like Pokemon or Yu-gi-oh. Or, God forbid, Mage-kick the Grouping.

"Sure, I'm pretty good at poker. Though I don't play it often as Jake always wanted to play strip."

"Yeah, you probably wouldn't like him... Wait... Strip poker?" Alex rubbed the back of his neck nervously at Aeris' questioning.

"Well, it's not like we were the only ones playing it..."

"I don't want to know," Aeris muttered. Her thoughts went back to the note. No Leo for the whole day. No one to annoy her. It was a wonderful sounding opportunity for the pink cat to have a day to relax.

* * *

><p>"Ugh," Alex groaned, "there's nothing on." The hybrid was flipping through the different channels on the TV, sitting on the couch upside down in an attempt to add a little more entertainment. A rhythm had been set as he waited a few moments before pressing the remote once again.<p>

Only a few hours had passed and already a clear sense of boredom had befallen him. Which was odd to the hybrid as he wasn't the sort to become bored.

"Play a game or something," Aeris said angrily, trying to read a book she had gotten the other day.

"I'm not in the mood," the hybrid groaned, finally giving up and turning the TV off. "Who knew Leo brought so much energy into this place. It's _way_ too quiet in here, I don't like it."

Alex did have a point. Even Aeris noticed the odd stillness around them. It seemed so unnatural.

"Well I don't know what you want me to do about it," she said.

With a sigh, Alex got up and disappeared, allowing Aeris to relax more in solitude.

As more time passed, the silence became deafening. Even Alex didn't make a peep, making the pink feline think the hybrid had run off somewhere. All around her, the only sound Aeris could hear was the subtle crinkle of the page as she turned it.

"_This is ridiculous_," Aeris thought, the pure silence unnerving her. "_Maybe I just need a stretch_." Setting the book down, Aeris decided to grab their mail, thinking the simple trip downstairs to where they kept it would get her blood flowing for a few minutes.

* * *

><p>"Nothing but junk," Aeris muttered, flipping through the small stack of envelopes a second time to double check. Still in the lobby, she made her way toward the elevator to get back to her floor. But something out of the corner of her eye caught her attention, a sudden flash of red.<p>

Looking toward where she had seen it, she gazed through the glass doors that led to the gym that the apartment complex had built in. It was easily comparable to any other found in the city, though it was reserved for residents. Upside to it being that not many people were ever in it at a time, and when there were people, they were pretty much neighbors so everyone usually knew each other.

The inside was divided into two sections. One had all of the lifting equipment, from barbells to benches. The other side was for a more physical workout, with punching bags and treadmills. Aeris used to come herself to lose stress on the bags.

A boxing ring was set up near where the punching bags were. It always seemed odd for her for a gym to have one, but most of the other attendants enjoyed watching whoever was going at it, finding entertainment in it. The red that had caught her eye was on that very ring.

It was Alex, wearing padded mitts on his hands. In the ring with him was an oddly dressed human, wearing a pair of boxer-shorts on his head and pants tied around his neck as a cape. Aeris recognized the costumed hero immediately, Pantsman. A few of the other gym goers sat on the benches around the ring.

Aeris stood there to watch. Though she noticed that there wasn't really a fight, not normal one anyway.

Both Alex and Pantsman didn't seem to throw any real punches. Rather, they lightly swung at each other while aiming for their legs. Pantsman landed a kick into the back of the hybrids knee, it buckled and he tumbled to the ground.

"That's nine," he said with a grin, standing over him.

"I can see that," Alex replied, a smirk showed as Pantsman didn't notice the stripped tail wrap around his ankle. After a tug, he his balance was offset and allowed the downed hybrid to kick his foot out. With a thud, the hero fell forward onto the ground. "Seven."

"Bit of an unfair advantage, don't you think?" Pantsman was quick to get back up. But neither of them seemed to go any further.

Then after dodging another swing, Alex's eyes caught Aeris watching him. His attention became split which Pantsman took advantage of, sweeping his leg and knocking Alex's feet out from under him. The force caused the hybrid to fall behind the ropes and out of the ring, coming to a stop as he landed on the hard floor.

"Oh... _hi_ Aeris," Alex groaned, looking up at her from the floor.

"That's ten," Pantsman said with his broadest grin, "you lose."

"Yeah yeah."

"What are you doing here?" Aeris asked, looking questioningly at Alex as he picked himself up.

"I like to hit the gym every now and then, helps keep the pounds off. How else do you think I stay in shape?"

"Play the Wii?" They both shared a laugh at her ridiculous idea.

"This place is much nicer then the one I used to go to," Alex remarked. "Ran into Pantsman here as well, he's not too bad for a human." Pantsman jumped down to where they were, greeting Aeris. "I must know, where did you learn to fight like that?"

"Self taught," he answered boastfully. "And keeping criminals in line around here is the perfect training."

"Riiight," Alex said with a roll of his eyes.

"You aren't too bad yourself though," the man said, eying Alex with interest. "Perhaps you would like to join me and become my sidekick? My previous Briefsboy was ungrateful and left me." Aeris couldn't help but smirk as she knew he was talking about Leo, dissatisfied as all Pantsman ever did with him was make him fetch food.

"As tempting as that sounds... I'm gonna have to pass. Superheroing isn't exactly my thing. Maybe we can just have a rematch sometime. But for now, I think I'm just going to wash up." He wiped away some of the sweat collecting on his forehead before saying goodbye and leaving, not wanting to know what being a 'Briefsboy' might entail.

"So," Aeris said as they entered the elevator, "that fighter past of yours shows itself every now and then..."

"Not really," Alex replied, "I'm just more used to having a workout like that. I quite fighting for fun a long time ago, and I most certainly don't try and pick aggressive ones with people."

"You're no fun sometimes," Aeris muttered.

They made it back into the apartment where Alex went directly to the shower to wash the sweat off of himself. Aeris sat back down with her book, partially satisfied that something new had just happened.

But the simple act of reading was once again making her uneasy, even as more time passed. Finally putting the book away for now, she went off to see what Alex was now doing, thinking she could at least fight boredom with him.

He had gone directly into his room after his shower, not coming out since. She was curious as to what he could possibly do in there, knowing he wasn't one to take naps and that his room had nothing of entertaining value.

Silently opening his door, Aeris peered inside to see the fox-hybrid on the floor. His towel was tossed aside while he had just put on a clean pair of pants. Sitting with his legs crossed, his hands were placed on his knees while he kept his eyes shut. Alex was perfectly still except for the subtle rise and fall of his breathing chest, as well as his tail which swished lazily back and forth across the carpet.

Aeris observed him for a few moments, but without realizing, she pushed against the door and caused it to creak softly.

His ears twitched as he heard the noise and Alex's eyes shot open. Quickly noticing Aeris, the hybrid fell over onto the floor and jumped up to his feet.

"Oh Aeris," he said with surprise, "you uh... need something?"

"What were you doing?" she asked. Alex became slightly nervous at the question.

"N-nothing at all," he said, but the look Aeris then showed told him she didn't believe it. "Okay, I was just uh... medaphting..." He mumbled the last word, staring down at the floor awkwardly.

"What was that?"

"Meditating," Alex finally answered with a sigh. "I do it every now and then. Keeps me from getting too stressed and lets me center my thoughts." Aeris looked at him oddly for a moment.

"Why did you act so strange about it just now?"

"Well, most people tend to think it's kind of weird to do it. Actually, it was my old fighting instructor who showed it to me. Worked wonders when I was trying to releave my aggressions and it is still a great method of relaxing."

"Huh... seems pointlessly boring..." Aeris muttered, gaining a flat look from Alex.

"Yeah... that's another reason, people don't understand it. Honestly, I could see meditation helping you a lot as well. You know, with your bottled up aggressiveness and all."

"I'm not aggressive," Aeris said with a glare.

"Oh no no, not at all," he said, raising his hands up defensively.

As they stood there for the moment, Alex's body suddenly twitched, his back arched as he groaned in pain.

"Something wrong?" Aeris asked, slightly concerned.

"It's nothing..." he replied, feeling his back tenderly. "I think I may have pulled a muscle or something, what with my poor sleeping habits lately.

An idea then came to the pink cat, she grabbed the hybrid's arm and pulled him into the living room.

"Lie down on your stomach," she demanded, throwing the hybrid onto the couch. Though he was at first hesitant, Alex complied and straightened himself on the couch, resting his head on his arms.

"What are you doing?" he asked, trying to see what the cat was up to as she rested on her knees in front of him.

"Massage," she answered, cracking her knuckles before placing her hands on his back.

"Wait a minute," Alex tried saying, attempting to roll off of the cushions. But Aeris stopped the hybrid and forced him to stay still.

"You're in pain, and sitting down in silence with your legs twisted isn't going to help." She didn't give him anymore time to protest, putting her hands back on him, instantly feeling the muscles tense. "Goodness, you certainly are carrying a lot of stress around with you."

Aeris continued her massage, softly touching the muscles on his back, feeling the area suddenly tense up as she moved across it. But after a while, the hybrid became used to it. Aeris could feel his flesh beginning to relax and allow her to work.

"You're not half bad," Alex said, beginning to enjoy the treatment.

"Well, I took some classes in it last year," Aeris replied, continuing to move her hands across the tensed back muscles. "It was a pretty slow few months for games, with no good ones coming out for a while. So I went to a center downtown and figured I'd learn a skill."

"So you went with masseuse?" Alex asked with a chuckle.

"I heard it payed well," she admitted. "Though it's not like I've ever gotten any use out of it."

They both remained silent as Aeris did her work. Though she was nowhere near the expert level, even she could tell this was something Alex really needed. After some time, she felt an odd sensation in her palms. It was a light vibration, felt whenever she touched his back.

Her ears perked up as she then heard it, a strange noise coming from Alex. A deep rumbling that seemed to come from his throat, after a moment of realization, Aeris figured out that the hybrid was purring.

Seeming to realize it himself, Alex immediately clamped a hand around his throat. Holding his breathe for a moment as to double check the sound was no longer there. But Aeris had heard it, and the pink cat was having a hard time keeping a straight face.

"Wow," she said with a smile, "I had no idea you could-"

"Yes yes I know," Alex grumbled, "I'm sure you can tell I take it from my mother."

"That's hilarious," Aeris laughed.

"It's completely involuntary for me, I can assure you of that."

"Sure sure," she said, finishing her laugh.

Soon afterward, Aeris had finished. She had a lot to work with, but she was certain the hybrid would feel much better and more relaxed now.

"Huh, I feel... great," Alex said with slight surprise, standing up from the couch and stretching. "Thank you Aeris." The pink cat smiled, glad she could help. But it wasn't all she had in mind, as the next part of her plan was about to commence.

"Okay," she said, "now you do me." Alex's expression went blank for a moment.

"Wait... w-what?"

"It's only fair," Aeris replied, smirking deviously. She took the place that Alex had previously and relaxed herself. "I can force you ya know," she said as she noticed Alex becoming extremely hesitant.

Relenting, the hybrid got down on his knees and cracked his own fingers, preparing himself.

"Okay," Alex said within a breath, about to begin.

"Hold on," Aeris interrupted. "You'll need to do it on the bare back, it's much more effective." She then pulled up her shirt, doing so at an angle to reveal more of her back then her front, as to not expose herself. "Alright then, now you can start."

Alex sat there for a moment. His nervousness peaking as he looked down at Aeris' back, her _bare_ back. The hybrid not seeing the strap which he had expected.

"Uh... A-aeris," Alex said nervously, "you don't uh... wear a..." Having expected it, Aeris knew what he was referring to and grinned.

"Not all the time no, they usually itch the fur. And it's not as though I desperately need it."

"Right..." Alex muttered with uncertainty, having doubts on that fact.

Gulping loudly, Alex placed his hands on Aeris' back and got started. It was all he could do to keep his hands steady as he felt her soft fur and warm body underneath his fingertips. Trying his hardest to mimic what Aeris had done to himself.

From the look on her face though, she did seem to enjoy it. But Alex couldn't tell that much of that enjoyment stemmed from his torment.

What the hybrid didn't notice was how his movements gave light pushes on Aeris' shirt, moving it ever so slightly upwards. After a time, the shirt was moved up further then intended. It exposed a portion of her chest, Alex's hands seemed to freeze as he took notice to it.

"Okay!" he blurted out, jumping up to his feet. "I think you're done now." He looked about the apartment nervously. "Uh, ya know, I'm getting pretty famished actually. Are you hungry? I. Am. Hungry. I think I'll get something started for dinner." Without another word, the hybrid darted into the kitchen, the clanging of pans sounding off shortly after. All Aeris could do was hold a hand to her mouth to stifle the laughing fit that was coming on.

* * *

><p>After they had eaten, Alex's tension seemed to ebb away and the feeling of boredom slowly crept its way back. Deciding that the hybrid needed a break from her fun, Aeris brought up the idea of gaming to pass the time. With little else to do, Alex agreed and they selected a few two-player games to try.<p>

Their current being an old racing game. Aeris and Alex sat down on the couch as they raced one another, their eyes dead set on the screen as they controlled their racer through the tracks.

"You're going down Aeris," Alex said defiantly, determined for the victory due to being trounced badly in the last game.

"Ha," she replied with skepticism, "I'm surprised you can even keep your car on the track, much less win anything."

The so called competition was anything but, the other racers quickly being left in the dust of the two players. Aeris was in the lead with Alex right behind her.

It was their final lap, the finish line coming closer and closer to them. Aeris still had the lead and wasn't letting go of it for anything. Alex tried his best but couldn't find a way to turn the tide. An idea came to him though. The hybrid rested the controller on his knee, using one hand to keep his racer going while his other reached out toward the feline beside him.

"Hahaha, w-what are you d-doing, haha," Aeris tried saying, stammering as the hybrid's fingers danced across her sensitive sides, tickling her. "Y-you can't do that, y-you big c-cheater, hahaha." Through her laughing, her concentration on the race was broken.

"All is fair," Alex said with a smile, continuing his onslaught both to the cat and in the game as he passed her character and made it to the finish line. "Oh yeah, that's how it's done," he boasted.

"Why you little," Aeris growled, throwing down her controller and pouncing on the hybrid. "Let's see how you like it." She then pinned him down and grabbed for his sides, trying to find the most ticklish spot on him.

"N-no," the hybrid begged, "plea-ease don't. I don't l-like to be, hahaha."

"Aw, little hybrid is a little ticklish," Aeris said through Alex's own laughter.

The tickle torture was quickly ended however as Alex rolled over on the couch, tumbling off of it and pulling Aeris down with him. The hybrid thudded onto the floor with Aeris landing on top of him, there was a sudden sense of deja vu.

They rested there for a moment, catching their breath. But Alex started laughing once again, not because of Aeris, but because of the realization of their own childish behavior. Aeris caught on as well and started laughing with him. They shared in the joyful amusement until their lungs couldn't take it anymore and demanded a stop for air.

Then, as the laughing stopped, there was a silent pause.

When their comedic moment ceased and the ache in their bodies grew still, both Alex and Aeris looked at each other. Their eyes met and seemed transfixed with one another. Aeris looked down into the hybrid's bright yellow eyes, lost in the color she had noticed before, back when they had first met. Alex gazed up into the eyes of the pink cat on top of him, seeing the dazzling blue staring into his own, noticing how they seemed to sparkle like sapphires.

It was impossible to tell how long, or how short, their moment lasted. Everything seemed to halt just as they did.

Then Aeris' senses finally came back to her. She pushed off of Alex and stood up, attempting to regain her lost composure. The stillness in the air didn't seem to leave so easily however, creating an awkward silence between the two of them. It was then suddenly broken, the pink cat's balled up fist landing a blow into the hybrid's side, causing him to grunt in mild pain.

"That's for cheating," Aeris said in a leveled tone.

* * *

><p>Aeris didn't sleep well that night. The pink cat tossed and turned in her bed, trying vainly to fall asleep. Something wasn't right, an odd feeling that was as persistent as it was unwanted.<p>

Growling angrily at herself, Aeris stared up at the ceiling of her room, knowing that sleep wasn't going to come to her so easily.

A loud banging sound startled her upright, her eyes were quick to adjust to the darkness in her room and she looked out toward her door. It had been swung open and Alex stood in its threshold. His chest was bare and his hair was a mess, clear signs that he was previously in bed as well.

Aeris stared at him with confusion, waiting for the answer to her inner question of why he was there. But the hybrid was silent. Alex moved toward her. Making a slow, perfect stride as he came closer to her. His eyes locked onto hers with a compassionate stare.

"Alex... what-" Aeris began to ask, but Alex placed a finger over her lips to quiet her.

"Lets not kid ourselves anymore about what we really want Aeris," he said in a sultry voice.

Still confused, Aeris tried questioning him again. But the feline never made a sound, she was stopped as Alex leaned in closer and locked his lips with hers.

As they kissed, Aeris was already preparing to hit the hybrid away. But as she began to turn her hand into a fist, her entire body suddenly became weak. She could hardly form a fist now, let alone swing it at the one now kissing her.

Her mind became cloudy. Everything was so strange, so confusing, but a feeling of warmth surged through her entire body and relaxed her even further.

Alex broke from the kiss and sat down on the bed in front of her, his hands began moving up and down her body while he continued planting soft kisses on her.

Aeris moaned quietly as she felt Alex's tender touch caressing her. Still feeling weak, she wanted to fall back into the embrace of her bed, but she found herself somehow floating there. Looking down, Aeris could see Alex's tail wrapped around her waist, keeping her lifted up to his level, it surprised her how strong it was.

Now moving down her neck, the hybrid continued his onslaught of loving kisses. One place in particular caused Aeris to gasp lightly as his lips met an extra sensitive spot. Having caught the reaction, Alex grinned and stayed on that single spot. Kissing and suckling with no end.

Her breathing becoming erratic, Aeris hung her arms over his shoulders, feeling a welling sensation of pleasure and joy. Then Alex took it a step further, stopping his kissing to lightly bite down. Nipping the pink feline just as any cat would to their love.

It brought her over the edge, as the sensation coursed through her entire body, she cried out. Releasing the building pleasure in one loud scream.

Then an unfamiliar feeling washed over her in her dazed state. Aeris opened her eyes to see Alex was gone. Her breathing was heavy and her heart pounded against her ribcage as she looked around her room for the hybrid, finding no sign of him anywhere.

Suddenly, a loud bang sounded. Aeris looked to see her door had been swung open. Alex stood in the threshold, shirtless and hair a mess.

The hybrid's claws were out, his eyes darting about the room frantically until they came to rest on Aeris.

"I heard a scream," he said, his tone matching the confusion written on his face. Aeris only stared at him in shock for several moments, rendered speechless by everything that had just hit her at once.

"I-it was just a bad dream..." She said it, not as an answer to him, but to herself. The realization coming to her with as much force as it needed. How the event that occurred moments ago, now feeling as though it were an eternity, was only a terror produced by her own unconscious mind. "A really, _really_ bad dream..."

Alex blinked as he heard the response. Retracting his claws, he developed an awkward stance as he gained a look of embarrassment over his own overreaction.

"Oh... uh..." Alex noticed a thick look of distress about the pink feline, though he didn't know what had happened, it really shook her. "Wait one moment."

The hybrid then disappeared. Aeris listened in as she heard odd sounds coming from somewhere in the apartment. Alex returned after a short wait, a glass in each hand. He handed one to Aeris who felt the warm temperature of the cup and saw the white liquid that swirled inside.

"Warm milk?"

"Mhm," Alex said, already drinking his own. "A little trick mother used back when I started having trouble sleeping due to my eyes. Always worked wonders." Aeris drank her own. Though it tasted odd, she didn't think it was too horrible.

"Thanks," she said, giving the glass back.

"Of course," Alex replied with a smile. "What are friends for?" The hybrid then left to return to his room.

"Yeah..." the cat muttered silently as she watched him go, lying back down in her own bed as she felt a heavy weight in the pit of her stomach, "friends..."

* * *

><p>The morning that soon came had to of been the most awkward Aeris had ever experienced in her life.<p>

Aeris stared at her breakfast blankly, scrambled eggs, a favorite of hers and a recurring breakfast whenever Alex decided to cook.

He ate his own meal silently, doing so the same way he did every morning, the previous day having not effected him in the slightest.

The silence itself was maddening. With the only sounds being of Alex's eating, the occasional squeak of Aeris' fork against the porcelain plate while she picked at it, and the monotonous ticking of the living room clock.

Picking at her food, Aeris repeatedly cast nervous glances at Alex from the other side of the table. Always being sure to look away before the hybrid could match her gaze. It was nerve racking, but still she couldn't help but look at him with a subtle paranoia, as if the crossbreed suddenly gained the ability to read minds and was now using it on the cat before him.

"_Dammit Aeris,_" she thought to herself. "_It was nothing, you know that. Nothing but a dream, not even that, a nightmare. Nightmares are meant to scare you, they are meant to be of things you don't want. And you most certainly didn't want __**that. **__You'd know if you were even coming close to crossing that line, and of course you have no intentions of ever changing how things are now... God, that __**fucking**__ clock!_"

Her inner thoughts were broken however as the sound of their front door ended the silence.

They both looked up from their food to see Leo passing by. His body slumped, tail sliding across the ground. Feet never lifting up off the floor, Leo dragged them across the carpet. Aeris saw him wearing a strange black outfit that she recognized as being apart of their collection.

Leo didn't acknowledge them, he seemed too far gone to even notice. The gray cat simply kept his gaze forward and on his path as he disappeared into his room and collapsed onto the bed.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Something something will play...**

**"Why did he write in the pauses..." (checks all previous Author's Notes...) Huh, talk about shooting yourself in the foot. Don't ask me... Same reason I don't like posting on any kind of forum, makes me seem like either a moron or an insane person.**

**What? Oh... Heh, you probably thought I'd bring up... ya know... that last bit. But I won't. (smug face)**

**Leo was gone this chapter, kinda sad to not see any real comedic relief here... BUT there is a good reason for it. I may just bring it up in the next chapter as to what was going on.**


	16. Mission Impractical

**Chapter 16: Mission Impractical**

Leo finished writing his note, a masterful work of subterfuge and deceit.

After double checking to make sure Aeris and Alex were fast asleep, Leo slipped into their costume closet. Searching through the many outfits they had, the specific one the gray cat was looking for showed itself. Leo held it up and examined it, a set of black robes and an added hood, perfectly resembling the Altair Assassin's Creed robes.

Leo checked himself out in the full-length mirror after he had donned the costume.

"Bad ass," he said after flexing vainly. But Leo shook his head to alleviate the distraction, he wouldn't have much time left to leave before anyone woke up, he needed to move fast.

Grabbing several other items from the around the room, Leo silently crept out of the apartment and made his way across the Canadian streets. It was still early so the streets were nearly deserted. Leo was happy as he didn't need unwanted stares to follow him.

An hour went by before the gray cat finally reached his destination. A metal door stood in front of him. After knocking on it four times, pausing for exactly two seconds between each, a small slot at the top slid open to reveal a pair of eyes staring at him.

"Pashword," the voice demanded.

"Uh..." Leo stalled, trying to remember it, "Let's see... ah. Screw the rules, I love card games." The slot slid shut and, after an overabundant amount of locks were unlocked, the door opened to reveal Ternaldo, his hairy face and blue hoodie marking his identity.

"Good, it's you Leo," he said, pulling the cat through the doorway. He then slammed the door shut and relocked it.

"What other gray cat would knock on your door?"

"Maybe... a robot!" Ternaldo then gave a hard jab into Leo's chest. "Hm... fleshy... you seem okay. For now."

"Good," Leo said. "Now check out this great costume, it'll be perfect." He stuck another pose, showing off the costume.

"Cool," he said ecstatically. "Now then, we get to business."

Ternaldo led Leo into another room. A table sat in the center, a scale model of a section of the city was on top with different papers scattered around it.

"Okay," Ternaldo started, handing the gray cat a set of papers, "ash I've told you, the entire Canadian shipment of Duke Nukem Forever is being stored in a warehouse not too far from our current location. It is here they will stay until they are ready to be sent all across the country for their release date."

"Yeah..." Leo muttered as he thought of something. "If the game is already made... then why wait so long to sell it?"

"To build a more suspenseful wait," he answered.

"But... it's already been like... uh." Leo began counting on his fingers. "One... two... uh... three, _a lot _of years already..."

"I know, isn't it _brilliant_?"

"Okay, but wouldn't it be better if-"

"Look," Ternaldo said, interrupting the feline, "do you want to help me get this game early or not?"

"Yes!" Leo shouted, grabbing onto Ternaldo's shirt and staring into his eyes with a crazed look. "I _really_ do!"

"Good. Now," Ternaldo showed a blueprint of the warehouse, "we will need to enter through the garage doors. They will unload the last of the games at exactly eleven and we slip inside as the truck leaves." A series of photos were brought up, they depicted a large console from different angles. "This ish the security station that will set off the alarm if we try to nab the games. We _must_ take it out before making our grab."

"Wow," Leo said, impressed, "where did you get this cool stuff?"

"Same place I get all my secrety stuff."

"Johnny?"

"Yup. Didn't even make me pay for any of it. Shaid that I only needed to do was 'never return'. I think he meansh I can't return with his documents or something, I don't know, I'll have to ask him next time I buy my weekly card pack."

Leo paused for a moment, thinking over Ternaldo's plan. It seemed pretty sound to him. Then again, being Leo, he didn't put much thought into it.

"Ya know," Leo pointed out, "we should see if my new roommate could help us. I think he's done things like this before."

"No!" Ternaldo shouted. "No one else must know what we're doing!"

Then a woman's voice called out from another room.

"Ternaldo honey, are you done playing with your little friend? It's almost time for breakfast cakes."

"Shut up Mawm," he blurted out toward the door. "We are trying to plan a heist in here!"

"Oh you boys and your make-believe." Ternaldo grumbled angrily to himself.

"Gawd. No respect around herez."

"So..." Leo muttered, trying to relieve the tension of that awkward situation, "when do we head out for the warehouse?"

"After nightfall of courshe. We can't be seen during the day, lest we cause suspicions."

"Wait," Leo exclaimed. "I have to wait here until _nightfall_?"

"I like _just_ explained that dude..."

Leo let out a groan as he realized the heavy boredom that would come.

"We can play card gamesh to pass the time."

Leo groaned even louder.

* * *

><p>"To get to the other side. Get it?"<p>

It was Leo's attempt to pass the time with a joke. But there was only silence from Ternaldo as he stared at him.

"Never mind," Leo said, walking about the room to find something to do.

The first thing Leo found was a red bouncy ball. Sitting down, Leo threw it against the wall facing him. It thudded against the wall, angled itself, hit the floor, and made it all the way back. Just as it came to him, Leo swatted it. The ball once again hit the wall, the floor, and came back.

It continued for several attempts in one fluid sequence. But the ball eventually hit at an odd angle, sending it away to a corner of the room to be lost.

Next, the cat leaned on an old end table with a lamp sitting on its surface. Rather then a usual cord to turn it on, a button stuck out at the base, rather peculiar to the cat. Leo pressed it to see the bulb light up and depart the shadows in the previously dimly lit room, the feline's fascination with it lighting up at the same time.

Pressing the button again, the lamp turned off. Leo repeatedly hammered on the button, on off on off on off on off, continuously. The pacing of each press slowed down and sped up with no real rhythm in mind. But Leo's head soon sunk back down as it became old very quickly.

After a time, Ternaldo's mother brought in a tray of cookies and milk. Though it was much to the man's protest, it didn't stop him from devouring them like a glutton.

Leo took his time with his own. After the cookies were gone, he took a sip of the milk. Absentmindedly, Leo stuck his mouth into the cup and sucked the excess air out of it. The glass suctioned to his face as he did so, and the gray cat quickly became worried that he couldn't get it off.

The next several moments were spent with Leo attempting to remove the cup that clung to his mouth. But as he pulled, it seemed to only increase the strength of the grip it had on him. Then, the cup simply fell from his face just as he gave up, leaving his lips feeling numb.

"_I gotta get out of here,_" Leo thought as the boredom became unbearable, "_I'm gonna climb the walls_."

An idea hit him then as he stared at the closest wall. He _was _dressed as an assassin after all.

Taking a short moment to run in place, Leo assumed a runner's stance before bolting toward the wall. His feet were brought up as soon as he came to the vertical surface, digging into the wal while he attempted his free-run.

Sadly, the flaw in the idea was that Leo _wasn't_ a deadly assassin.

Hardly making it a few inches off the ground, gravity took hold and Leo crashed down onto the floor. The back of his head struck the hard floor and he instantly blacked out into unconsciousness.

"Hey... Leo..."

Leo's mind picked up on his name being called. The gray cat opened his eyes to see Ternaldo leaning over him.

"Finally you're awake," he said. Leo noticed a change in wardrobe on Ternaldo's part. His blue hoodie and red shorts gone, he now wore a Solid Snake costume.

"W-what," Leo muttered, still slightly dazed.

"You knocked yourself out for some time, was pretty cool. But it's nighttime now and we need to get going."

"What!"

"Come on dude." Ternaldo yanked Leo up onto his feet and dragged him out of the building.

* * *

><p>Since the sun had fallen, not as many people were on the streets. Though it didn't make it any less important for them to not be seen. Leo's costume at least added protection to his identity, the hood shrouding his face.<p>

After some time of running and avoiding cars through alleys, Ternaldo pointed out the large building ahead of them.

"There it is," he said, his voice showing his building excitement.

The warehouse was one of many that lined the street. All identical in every aspect except a number on the very front. A seven was on the one Ternaldo pointed to. It wasn't needed to identify it however, it seemed to be the only warehouse that showed any activity.

Lights shined through the windows that lined the rim of the walls. A shipping truck slowly backed up to the receiving end on the other side of the building. The door opened and a group of men wheeled several crates into the warehouse. After the speedy delivery, the men went back to the truck and drove off.

"Now," Ternaldo said, the door to the warehouse sliding down.

They moved as quickly and quietly as they could. The door was almost shut by the time they reached it, but Leo's quick roll got him inside just in time. Ternaldo's roll however stopped short just at the threshold, he was forced to crawl across the ground like a toddler just as the door came down, just barley avoiding his foot getting caught underneath.

The warehouse was extensively large. Two floors made it up, the first was an otherwise empty room that was currently filled with large crates. A single set of stairs led upward to the second, into what looked like an office and a balcony that had even more crates staked on one another.

It wasn't a mystery as to what was inside said crates. Leo's fur stood on end as he darted to the nearest crate, wrapping his limbs around it to be as close to Duke Nukem as possible.

"Not now," Ternaldo whispered, "we needz to turn off that security." With a pout, Leo released his grip and they crept onward through the first floor. With the crates set up as they were, the room was almost like a maze, though with more ends and beginnings.

"Teteche teteche teteche tcha tcha tcha tcha... cheeeecha cheecha," Leo whispered quietly in rhythm as they moved about, as though real words were now lost to him. "Bah da be dah, bah bah de babed-."

"What are you doing!" Ternaldo whispered harshly.

"Theme music," Leo answered, "like in the movies."

"Well be quite dude."

Feeling dejected, Leo stayed silent as they moved through the warehouse. Ternaldo stopped suddenly as they came to a corner.

"There's a guard past here." Leo tried looking himself, being pulled away as not to be seen.

A single man in a security uniform, he had his back turned to them. There was a feeling of intimidation as Leo spotted the machine gun the guard had strapped to him.

"Did you bring what I asked," Ternaldo said, looking at Leo expectantly.

With a nod, Leo reached into the bag he had brought and pulled out two pistols. Tranquilizers that they used as props for the stealth games they did. They were completely real as well, Leo finding out the hard way. The question was once brought up as to how Pantsman had gotten them and why they used them in the first place, but he simply avoided it with a typical vague answer.

Leo handed one to Ternaldo who's hands trembled in anticipation.

"Oh yeah," he said as he stroked the gun, "this will work nicely." Without warning, Ternaldo leaped out of their hiding spot and with a mighty yell, brought the handle of the pistol down on the back of the guard's head.

With only an 'oof', the guard collapsed onto the ground, unconscious. Leo only gaped at the scene.

"Dude," he said speraticly, "they were tranqs! You just needed to shoot him with one."

"Oh..." Ternaldo aimed down and fired a dart into the unconscious guard's leg. "Okay... he's out... Come one, let's go." Leo let out a groan before following, pausing for a moment as he thought of how the noise sounded so similar to Aeris'.

They made their way to the stairs that led to the second floor. Once at the top, the peered into the office and noticed a second guard lounging in a chair in front of a large console. A box of doughnuts sat next to him while he dug in.

Leo aimed and fired a dart at the guard. It missed by a wide margin and hit the wall. The guard took notice and got up to look around. Leo tried again, steadying himself before firing. The dart moved right for the guard but he moved at the last second.

"Dammit," Leo muttered under his breath. The gray cat became frustrated and marched into the room. Surprising the guard who wasn't ready to stop the feline from shooting him point blank. Two darts lodged into his chest and he was down in a matter of seconds.

"Good work," Ternaldo said, moving for the box of doughnuts and stuffing his face.

While Ternaldo did that, Leo looked around. A crowbar sat against the wall. Taking it, Leo approached one of the crates on the balcony and preyed the lid off of it. His heart racing, he braced himself to see the culmination of all of his hopes and dreams in front of him.

A metal box stared right back at Leo as he looked in the crate.

"What is this," Leo said angrily, expecting to see his game.

"Added security," Ternaldo answered, munching on the pastry in his hand. "They're like safes and each holds like ten games or something. They're wired to the place too, alarm will go off if we try and run without turning off the console."

They moved back into the office where Ternaldo sat down in front of the console. A large assortment of buttons covered it with several monitors attached to the wall above it.

"To turn it off, we needz the right number code. One mistake will set off the alarm. Luckily, Johnny toldz it to me too." Ternaldo leaned over the keypad and pressed the first number. "One."

"**Alarm! Alarm! Alarm! Alarm!" **The blaring noise filled the warehouse as it was flooded in a flashing red light.

Ternaldo and Leo began to panic as the sound seemed to grow louder and louder.

"Stop it stop it stop it!" Leo yelled frantically.

"I don't know howz!" Ternaldo cried, smashing buttons on the keyboard.

Obvious that randomly hitting keys wasn't working, Ternaldo grabbed the crowbar Leo had and smashed the console with it. Sparks and fragments of metal flew everywhere as he repeatedly struck the machine.

"Okay..." he said through exhausted breaths, "it'sh dead now..." But the alarm continued, along with the sound, and the noise of approaching sirens could be heard off in the distance. "Yeah... we should probably leave now..."

Grabbing one of the metal boxes, Ternaldo and Leo ran for the exit. Stealth and subtlety flew out the window as they ran down the streets as fast as they could, screaming bloody murder like little girls at the top of their lungs. It was a miracle they didn't leave a trail of noise for the police to follow.

They didn't stop for a moment until they charged into Ternaldo's 'lair'. Their screaming stopped as they dashed underneath the nearest table and hid there. Only the sounds of their own heavy breathing and beating of their hearts could be heard.

After what seemed like hours, the still silence was finally accepted and they withdrew from under the table. A sigh of relief escaped them both as their eyes lowered onto the metal box, lying on the floor where it had been thrown in their haste.

Placing it on the table, Leo examined it. A thick steel cube was the best way to describe it. Only a simple groove across the side that circled it was there, showing where to open it. But there was no means to unlock it. A small keypad was on the top, showing that a password needed.

"Well I guessh my work isn't done," Ternaldo said as he finished his examination.

"Can you get it open?"

"My mom has a tool set somewhere around here... I'm sure I'll get it."

"Don't you dare hurt the games!"

"I won't I won't... But first, I need to play a card game to settle my nerves." Ternaldo went off to find his deck while Leo yawned loudly.

The clock showed that morning was fast approaching and he was both exhausted and sleep deprived. Feeling as though his body would crash, Leo left to head home and get some shut-eye.

Each step became a chore for him, every passing moment making him feel more and more like a zombie. Leo had to squint to see where he was going, hardly able to keep his eyes open. With his severly reduced speed, more time passed before he was finally back at the apartment.

Leo didn't pay any attention to his roommates, nor did he care to. All the gray cat wanted was the soft embrace of his bed sheets. Leo then collapsed into the bed the moment he reached it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Crazy chapter amiright. Train wreck comes to mind when I think of this chapter... just seems like the perfect phrase.**

**Really though, think of this as a... 'bonus' chapter. It's not even really that needed for the central story, it's more just a way to show what Leo was up to, and to show him off since he was absent in the previous. 17 will pretty much put things back on track (if you could call it a track)**

**Showed Ternaldo coming into the story as well, though this will probably be his only appearance (if there's another it's very minor) Though I do feel like I didn't do him justice. He doesn't really have much personality to work with other then an annoying fanboy and this chapter didn't really have any means to bring it out. It's more of Ternaldo being the only one who could fit in with what Leo's doing. Maybe Johnny, but I picture him as more of the brains who sits on the sidelines while others do the dirty work. (kind of how I did with this chapter because we all know Ternaldo had _nothing_ to do with this plan)**

**Oooo some references too. A YGOTAS one. And the 'theme music' joke is a bit of a hit and miss kind of deal. When I thought of it, I pictured the scene in The Emperor's New Groove with the stealth mission theme music... It's the first place I ever remember seeing it done, though I know it's been done by others over time, I think it's the first to do the joke.**

**Also another (cough) reference that I'm already completely sure no one will get (aren't those just the _best_ ones) tucked away nicely within my words of fanficdom.**


	17. Strangely Simple

**Chapter 17: Strangely Simple**

Aeris found herself avoiding the fox-hybrid. Ducking in and out of the apartment to avoid a direct meeting with him. What annoyed her the most about it was her own inner battle on the reasoning.

"_It's simple_," she thought to herself, staring blankly at the ceiling of her bedroom as she lied down on the floor, "_it was nothing. Couldn't be easier Aeris. Things just got a little strange between the both of you and you're just not used to anything like that._" Her brow furrowed as she frowned. "_Really... he __**is**__ the only other guy I've gotten this close to besides Leo in a long time... and he's actually normal... well, to an extent. It is perfectly reasonable that there would be little slip ups... and I suppose my actions didn't really help the matter_."

The pink cat got up and left the room with a sigh. She was stopped in her tracks however as she noticed Alex sitting on the couch. Having noticed her, he turned his gaze from the TV to face her.

"Hey, Aeris..." he started, the look on his face showing a look of deep thinking. But he wasn't able to finish as Aeris was quick to leave the apartment, throwing out an excuse before she slammed the door shut behind her. The hybrid sighed to himself before returning to the TV.

* * *

><p>The next day started off similarly to the previous. Aeris kept her distance from the hybrid, and Alex was caught unaware of what was going on. It was a simple decision on her part, to keep her distance from him for a short time. At least until her head was clear of the nonsense the previous day had brought.<p>

Luckily for her however, a certain gray furred feline brought a wonderful distraction.

"Aeris," Leo said, knocking on the locked door to her room.

"What?" The gray cat paused for a moment, sensing a hint of irritation in her voice.

"Uh... well, me and Alex are gonna go down tp GameShop. I thought you'd want to know where we were going."

"Why would you think I care enough to tell me," she responded angrily. "What am I, your keeper?"

"You like to act like you are," Leo mumbled. Then, the feline nearly jumped out of his fur as a loud thud sounded from the other side of Aeris' door. He was quick to get out of the apartment, lest he shows up to the store with bruises.

After several minutes, Aeris poked her head out to see an empty apartment. She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed herself on the living room couch.

* * *

><p>The trip of Leo and Alex became the standard one sided conversation as Leo continued talking about the usual dribble.<p>

But Alex's mind was elsewhere. He walked with the gray cat while in deep thought. Thinking of the previous day and what had happened, thinking of how Aeris seemed to be acting around him, and continuously picturing a pair of blue eyes staring down into his soul.

"_That certainly can't be the reason_," the hybrid thought, Aeris still on his mind. "_It was nothing, just a trivial glance we both happened to share at once... Still... what else could it be?_"

He couldn't help but frown as he remember that moment. It was all so strange, one moment his competitive nature was coming to light. Then, he was happy, laughing and enjoying himself for the first time in a long while. But it suddenly shifted, changing from joy to a silent, transfixed stare. He couldn't even look away, lost in the vast ocean of blue.

"_That moment... what even was that... I felt so lost, empty-minded... but certainly not infatuated! No no no, that's certainly __**not**__ the answer. Sure she is female. Sure she is a uh... a beautiful er... specimen. I can't deny that. And I'm sure that was the reason! I was simply noticing her... feminine qualities... But none of that has to mean I'm growing any sort of romantic interests with her. __**Dammit!**__ Why am I even arguing with myself on this..._" He inwardly sighed, feeling it shake into the depths of his own being. "_Though... logically, I __**am**__ treading in unfamiliar waters here. I've never stayed in the company of others like this before, except for Jake of course. And I know I haven't been close to a female in terms of friendship... I suppose it's plausible that there would be... moments that are more then a little awkward._" Alex sighed again, feeling a weight lift off of his mind, but another was immediately dropped. "_I just hope Aeris doesn't get the wrong idea... What am I saying, there's more of a chance of of her getting with Leo, and I already know that won't happen. Still though..._"

Alex's train of thought was cut off. Without realizing, they had arrived at GameShop. Leo opened the door to go in, and with his attention strayed, the hybrid ran straight into it. With the sudden surprise, he stumbled back and dropped onto the sidewalk.

"What's wrong with you?" Leo asked, apparently not noticing the distance the hybrid had set between himself and his surroundings.

"Agh," Alex groaned, rubbing his nose, "nothing, just... have a lot on my mind as of late."

Leo didn't put anymore thought into it and entered the store, Alex following after getting up. They browsed the games for awhile. Alex stayed with Leo through it, having no need to be there himself, he was simply apart of the trip for a quick chance at fresh air. Leo eventually found a game that caught his eye, as well as a new controller to replace one that Aeris had broken.

Setting them on the counter, Leo searched his pockets. It then occurred to him the problem he had realized earlier, he had no money.

"Ugh, I forgot I'm broke." The gray cat's gaze then drifted over to his company. Alex noticed Leo looking at him expectantly.

"Dammit Leo. Why even come here?"

"Aw come on," he pleaded. "I'll pay ya back." The hybrid knew better then to trust those words, but Leo's puppy dog eyes he was flashing were surprisingly effective, even for being a cat.

"Fine," Alex grumbled, but his agitation to the situation was only heightened as he realized he was in the same boat. "I don't have any cash on me." He didn't even have his coat, which was both strange and surprising. He couldn't help but feel naked.

"We can go back and get some," Leo said, being quick to give ideas to keep his purchase going.

"No," Alex said flatly, "_I'll_ go back. I'm a lot faster then you." The hybrid left the store and sprinted off toward the apartment. "Plus, there's something I need to do."

* * *

><p>"God, how can he live like this."<p>

Aeris looked with disgust at Leo's room. A mess as it always. Plates empty of all but a few crumbs dotted the room as if they were decorative. Dirty cloths hung off of everything like cobwebs. Aeris was even certain that a strange, otherworldly creature lived in the closet.

Normally she wouldn't set foot in the foul place, but she quickly became restless with the absence of the two boys and the pink feline decided that it was time to do laundry anyway. It would at least provide a necessary task for her to preform.

While even the idea of doing Leo's laundry was as horrible as it might sound, if she didn't do it no one else would. And it wouldn't be the first time Leo's worn dirty clothes.

With their own laundry in tow, Aeris paused for a moment as she looked at the door to Alex's room. Though she didn't need to, she thought she could at least be nice and see if he needed anything cleaned.

There was a long moment of hesitation as she gripped the doorknob. What annoyed her the most about it was how she couldn't tell the reason for it. She kept telling herself that what had happened was resolved, but it didn't get rid of the shadowing feeling that something was unfinished, unresolved.

Tightening her grip, Aeris opened the door and looked at the emptiness of his bedroom. Luckily for her, Alex was organized and his own dirty clothes were neatly placed in a basket he had.

Retrieving it, she turned to leave when something caught her eye. It was Alex's trench coat, laid out on the bed.

It was surprising to see it. After a short time, Alex showed his increasing comfort around them when he stopped wearing his coat while in the apartment. Even then though, he always kept it on while traveling. Aeris didn't bother with it however as she knew he didn't like displaying himself. Just seeing it there now made her think of how he was becoming used to them.

Aeris picked it up. As long as it was there, she figured it could use a wash. She checked it's inside, looking for a tag of some sort to see if it was machine washable. Turning it around in her hands in search of a tag, a sudden thud sounded just beneath her.

Looking down, Aeris became startled at what she saw. A large knife lying on the carpet.

After several moments of suspended shock, curiosity replaced it and Aeris picked up the weapon. Judging by the size and details of the handle and blade it seemed to be an old military knife. There was clear signs of age around the sharp edge,even appearing smaller as though it had been sharpened several times, but it still looked well taken care of.

Just holding it made Aeris feel uneasy, an unexplainable shadow of dread fell on her that eventually forced her to put it down. Searching the coat once again, Aeris could see where it had fallen from.

On the middle portion of the inside was a small set of cloth straps stitched into it. It appeared like a hand-made scabbard, the size matching the length of the knife blade. Aeris took the knife and placed it into the odd set-up, a perfect fit. The knife was hidden away from prying eyes and within a reachable spot for quick retrieval.

What made Aeris think was why on earth Alex would have such a thing. Her first conclusion made her think of it's purpose as a means of protection. From what he's said, he grew up in a rather dangerous place, it seemed likely that he would grow prone to needing a way of defense at all times.

But that still didn't make sense to the pink cat. She had seen Alex's claws, they were perfectly capable of providing a sense of safety that didn't require him to carry a concealed weapon, not to mention his apparent ability to hold his own in a fight.

Her reasoning came to a screeching halt however as the sound of the front door opening made her jump.

Quickly tossing the coat aside, Aeris picked up the large pile of laundry she had accumulated and made it for the door. Just as she made it out of his room she saw Alex walking toward her. The hybrid stopped as he took notice to her.

They both stood there, staring at each other awkwardly. But after a moment, the hybrid took a deep breath and cleared the gap between them.

"What are you doing?" he asked quizzically.

"Oh, I was just..." Aeris became worried slightly, silently hoping he wouldn't see that she was just in his room. "getting dirty clothes for laundry day." She could see Alex eying the clothes. More specifically, the ones that belonged to him. "I figured I'd get your stuff too, save on the trip."

"Oh," he said, giving a small smile, "well thank you."

Alex went into his room and Aeris watched as he moved to the ragged backpack he had tucked in the corner of his closet. Reaching inside one of the side pockets, he pulled out a small amount of cash and pocketed it. Then, he grabbed his coat and threw it on. As he left, he stopped as he approached Aeris. Another moment of awkward silence occurred. It was quickly broken however as Alex spoke up.

"Uh... ya know Aeris..." he said, sounding nervous. "It may sound strange, but I've never actually had a female friend before. And I'm completely clueless as to how much that changes things... But, I've done a lot of thinking and although there is sure to be those awkward moments, I've figured that there's no reason to ignore yourself because of it." Aeris looked at him in confusion, having no idea what he was thinking. But Alex's lips curved into a smile. "It's with that that I'd like to say... you have really pretty eyes. I'm surprised it took me so long to notice."

Aeris was taken aback by that. It wasn't just the compliment he had said, but how he said it, casually friendly, not a single hint of flirtation within it. A slight warmth grew into her cheeks, Aeris was glad that her fur hid it.

"Well I..." she muttered, eventually finding the ability to speak, "th-thanks... The same could be said about yours too Alex, yellow really suits you." Alex's smile grew larger as he remained silent. Then he walked past her and left the apartment. Aeris stood there, watching him leave. The strange feeling she had felt earlier was gone, fading away as she was faced by the hybrid. Now, she felt cheerful, content. All of the strange anxiety having been lifted just by what Alex had said. Her mind now seemed to be at ease. "Was it really that simple?" she asked herself. As she thought on it, she couldn't help but smile. "Well, at least I know things are perfect just the way they are."

* * *

><p>The morning of the next day was met with high optimism. As soon as Aeris awoke, the feeling of a wonderful day welled up inside her.<p>

Outside her room, Alex could be seen in the kitchen eating a simple breakfast.

"Good morning," he said, noticing the pink cat.

"Morning," she replied, filling a cup with her morning coffee. "Where's Leo?"

"In the living room." Alex nodded off to the other room. "He's been on the phone for the past half hour. Not sure with who though, havn't been paying attention."

Curious, Aeris walked into the living room to hear the ending of a conversation.

"Yeah, I'm sure she'll be just as excited. Bye." Leo hung up the phone. Aeris came into his field of vision and the gray feline's fave grew a grin.

"Who was that?" she asked, her tone coming off as a mixture of a request and command.

"Your mother," Leo replied. The cat immediately shrank back into the coach as Aeris raised a hand to strike him. "No no, it really was her."

"Why was she calling?" Leo's goofy grin returned.

"Our parents are visiting tomorrow."

Aeris' expression turned blank as her eyes grew wide.

"What!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Allrighty then. First off, sorry for how late this is. I had planned this to be finished a lot sooner but a few things got in the way.**

**I've been having a few problems with my computer, and it ended up screwing up the program I use to write. Almost lost this chapter's document too, but thankfully nothing happened to it.**

**And as much as I hate saying it, I had a rather bad writer's block part way into this thing that I just couldn't get around for a while. What I hate the most is how simple of a task I needed and for the life of me I couldn't think of anything.**

**Also, I know the chapter had a bit of an abrupt ending. It's really just a sneak peak into what the next chapter will be about... And I gotta say, Chapter 18 is one of my favorites. I'm sure if you've enjoyed everything so far, you'll probably love this next one. (crosses fingers)**

**One final note as well. I'd like to give a big thanks to everyone who has been reviewing my story as I've worked on it. You know who you are, you know what you did. **

**It offers great insight into what's liked and what isn't, how people are seeing the story and whatnot. And it really is encouraging to see what people have actually thought, rather then only having the traffic stats as a reference to how it's being looked at. Hugs n' kisses all around (the manly kind of course)**


	18. Mother I'd Like to Forget

**Chapter 18: Mother I'd Like to Forget**

"What do you mean our parents are visiting tomorrow!" Aeris shouted at the gray cat, who seemed to keep his cool despite the pink inferno before him.

"Well, tomorrow's Family Appreciation Day. Your mom called saying you two had it planned several months ago."

"Family Appreciation Day? What's that?" Alex asked.

"It's a random day we decided to make for whenever we can get our parents together," Aeris answered. "Sometimes we miss out on holidays so this was a way to help between them. In fact, last Thanksgiving was the last time we saw them, and that was a while ago."

"Huh, so I guess they'll be coming tomorrow then?"

Aeris' palm swung upward and made contact with her face. Leaving it pressed there for several moments.

"Dammit, I completely forgot about it too. What with Alex moving in and all, dammit dammit dammit!"

"What's wrong with them visiting?" Alex asked, becoming curious toward Aeris' frantic attitude. "

"You don't know my parents," she answered with a groan. She turned back to Leo. "What the hell did you two talk about?"

"Just that they'll be here around noon. They all still live in the same city so they're carpooling here together. And.." a smile crossed his lips, "I did mention Alex a bit, she seemed excited about meeting him."

"Yeah," Aeris grumbled, narrowing her gaze toward the feline, "I'm _sure_she is." The pink cat began pacing the floor, biting on her finger as she muttered wildly to herself. "Okay okay, I can handle this, first we... yeah yeah that'll be fine... then... okay sure sure that'll be perfect, and I-"

"Aeris," Alex said, grabbing her shoulders to stop her, "everything will be fine. We have a full day to prepare. A quick stop to the store, a fast clean and we will have everything picture perfect for when they arrive." Aeris frowned at him.

"That's not what I'm worried about."

* * *

><p>They made up a grocery list and Aeris set off to buy the necessary ingredients, having decided on a salmon meal. It was left to Leo and Alex to clean the apartment top to bottom.<p>

It surprised the hybrid how dirty the place was when it came down to detail. Cobwebs in the the corners, smudges on the glass, not to mention the jungle of cords that existed around the TV. It took them over an hour to untangle them, only to have Aeris decide to do away with the games altogether. Their parents apparently didn't think much of video games in general, as such their consoles and games were carried into Aeris' bedroom for safe keeping.

Soon the rooms became spotless, save for the bedrooms as they weren't necessary.

"Not bad," Alex said, admiring their work, "and with time to spare."

The next day started as normally as any other. Though Aeris still had a frantic and slightly worried mood, one that Alex was trying his hardest to figure out. Leo on the other hand had developed a peculiar grin, especially when his attention was on him.

As it neared noon and the time of the parents arrival, Aeris grabbed Alex's trench coat.

"Here," she said, handing it to him. The hybrid looked at it for a moment and smiled.

"Oh it's alright, I figured I'd be better off not trying to hide it. They'll find out eventually and I doubt it would make the right impression." He was answered with Aeris shaking her head, giving a slightly worried look.

"No Alex, you really shou-" Her words were stopped short as their front door opened.

"We're here darling," a woman's voice called out. The cat who barged in approached Aeris and embraced her in a hug. It seemed obvious to Alex at this point that it was her mother.

She was white furred with a pair of blue eyes that matched her daughter's. After her mother, a much taller and bulkier cat stepped into the apartment. His own fur was a dusty red while his hair was a faded black. The male cat's eyes seemed to be set into a permanent glare, added with a powerful demeanor. After her mother was finished, Aeris moved toward the man and gave him a hug, indicating who he was.

Looking at their fur color, Alex was forced into a pause for thought while he pondered the implication of genetics following the color wheel.

"It's good to see you Aeris," her mother said, the woman's eyes shifted toward the gray cat. "And how have you been doing Leo?" She gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. It was almost motherly in a sense. Though considering Aeris' and Leo's longtime friendship, it was plausible that he would be looked at like family.

"Not bad," Leo said, smiling cheerfully, "just need to stay on Aeris' good side."

"I'm sure your well versed in that by now," she responded with a light laugh. She removed the large fur coat she had on and tossing it to Alex. Its removal showed off the armless dress she had chosen to wear for the reunion.

The coat in his arms, Alex felt the fur of it brushing against his own, giving him an uneased expression. Aeris' mother noticed it.

"Oh don't tell me you're one of those equal animal rights people I hear so much about."

"Uh... well no," Alex answered, having trouble keeping his eyes off of the coat. "I'm perfectly fine with killing our four legged cousins for necessities such as meat and the like, I am after all a carnivore... But to take their fur to wear... it seems too superfluous, too human."

"Well when you put it like that," she said with a pout that quickly changed back into her cheery mood. "But you have to admit, I do look ravishing in this mink. And it's turned more then a few heads." Giving a weak smile, Alex draped the coat over a chair. Without it, his arms now showed once again. Aeris' mother was silent for a moment as her eyes drifted between his forearms and his tail. "Oh my..."

"Oh, uh... yeah," Alex said, realizing what she was noticing. "Well yeah... I'm crossed, I hope that isn't a problem..."

"Oh no no, not at all." Aeris' mother looked at him up and down, fully taking him in. "Leo failed to mention how handsome you were though."

"Uh... thanks?" he said awkwardly. Then, Alex realized he was no longer wearing a shirt. Startled, he looked to see Aeris' mother wading it up in her hands before dropping it to the floor. The hybrid stared at her in shock, it had all happened so fast. Just a simple blink occurred and he found himself topless, not even noticing it was gone until he looked down. Copperfield had _nothing_ on this feline.

"Mmm, such an exotic coat," Aeris' mother said, admiring the stripes across his red fur, "so soft." She circled around the rooted hybrid, sizing him up as she poked and prodded while making observations. Uncomfortable didn't even come close to what he was feeling. "Such a wonderful balance in the chest muscle, not overly buff and not a weakling, how delightful. Oh, but these arms, so strong, I'm sure you could carry any girl across the threshold with ease. Such a unique tail as well... Oooo, and a perfectly firm buttocks."

Alex felt a pair of hands clutch at his backside, forcing his back to arch and jolt forward subtly. For a moment, an icy chill ran straight through his veins. The woman giggled softly at his reaction before handing him back his shirt. He quickly put it on, unable to shake the cold feeling of having just been violated. Shuddering as the feeling began to pass, the hybrid's gaze shifted to Aeris, her hand held over her face as she was locked in a mortified expression.

"Such a fine young man you are. You have my full approval Aeris," she said, turning to her daughter with a smile before returning her gaze to the hybrid, leaning in closer to him as if to whisper but making no effort to lighten her voice. "Now, I must know... how many times have you already stuck it to my daughter hmm?" Alex stared blankly at her.

"E-excuse me?"

"Mother!" Aeris shouted angrily, breaking from her disturbed stance to an aggressive one in a moments notice.

"What?" the white cat asked innocently. "I feel I have a right to know about my daughter's escapades in my absence. And why shouldn't I assume the intentions of the handsome _hunk_ of a man who's staying under the same roof as my daughter?"

"First of all," Aeris said sternly, "no you do not. Second, I am not sleeping with him!" Alex groaned silently to himself, becoming tired at how everyone seemed to see him as some sort of sexual deviant. Ironic considering his friendship with Jake.

"Oh darn," her mother whined, "and here I thought my little girl finally found a man. Ah well, one can dream can't they?" The white cat then started laughing lightly, holding a hand to her mouth polity. "My goodness, all this excitement and we haven't even made proper introductions. My name's Daliah."

"Alex," the hybrid replied, having trouble reverting to his usual demeanor.

Daliah nodded toward Aeris' father, who had remained silent. Remembering his presence brought a tinge of tense awkwardness to Alex. Picturing what the man was thinking of Daliah's earlier personal space invasion. Looking at their hands though, the hybrid couldn't find any sort of ring, forcing him to ponder their status.

"This is Richard, Aeris' father as I'm sure you could tell."

"Pleased to meet you," Alex greeted, brushing aside his inner questions and holding out a friendly hand to the man. The feline stared at him, Alex couldn't tell if it was a normal look or his glaring eyes were intentional. After a moment of thick silence, Alex retracted his hand.

"And you must meet Lin," Daliah said, pointing behind him. Alex turned and was surprised to see a third cat standing next to Leo, he hadn't event noticed her arrival. Her hair and fur was a light tan shade, while her eyes were a dark brown. There didn't seem to be any resemblance between her and Leo.

"Hello miss..." Alex said, trailing off intentionally to find an answer.

"Leonardo... Lin Leonardo," she said, sounding distant toward him. Alex looked at her strangely for a moment before blinking forcefully.

"Well, it's good meeting you all."

"You can count that the feeling is _very_ mutual," Daliah said, leaning in close to the hybrid, causing him to take a step back involuntarily. "So, is this the whole guest list, or are we expecting your family as well Alex?"

Aeris bit her lip slightly at the question. She was certain that the topic would be brought up quickly, as it was obvious they wouldn't know any better. But she had no idea how to approach telling her.

"Actually mom," she responded, shooting a glance toward Alex to make sure she wasn't crossing any line, "Alex's family is-"

"Vacationing in Paris," Alex interrupted, pushing past Aeris to answer himself, "Mother and Father are enjoying their second honeymoon, but they've sent their love."

"Oh Paris," Daliah mused, staring off in wonderment at the idea, "how romantic."

The three parents made themselves more comfortable, examining the apartment to see how much had changed since their last visit. Aeris pulled Alex away, out of earshot from the touring parents.

"Alex," she said, giving him an odd look, "what was that?" The hybrid gave her a confused look before he understood what she was meaning.

"I didn't want to spoil the mood," he answered. "Today is about you and _your_ families, not my own troubles."

* * *

><p>After everyone was settled in, Alex and Aeris moved to the kitchen to get their meal ready. Judging from the noises coming from the kitchen however, things weren't going too well.<p>

"You need to turn the heat on higher," Aeris said, trying to work through the chaos they were making.

"No no, it'll burn," Alex said, jumping slightly as a puff of smoke shot out of the burner. "I'm certain of it."

"What's going on in here?" Daliah asked. She poked her head into the kitchen and was astonished at how terrible the cooking was going on.

"Fine just fine," Alex answered. Though it clearly showed he had no idea what he was doing.

"He's clueless," Aeris said, still working on the sides before shooting a glare at him. "I thought you said you could cook this Mr. 'master chef'!"

"Hey," Alex said defensively, "I _can_ cook... just not fish... I don't eat it so I've never had to learn. I figured I could wing it." With a sigh, Daliah found an apron tucked away in a drawer and put it on.

"Okay I'm taking over," she said, grabbing the spatula in the hybrid's grasp. "You, get out. Go and mingle or something."

"But wait I-" he tried saying, being pushed away from the stove.

"Out out out." After the crossbreed was shooed out of the kitchen, Aeris' mother moved in front of the stove and brought order to the spectacle.

As Aeris worked on her own duty, she felt a gaze upon her. Out of the corner of her eye, the stare of her mother could be seen, the corner of her mouth curved into a smirk. After a few minutes of it, Aeris let out an annoyed growl before facing her mother.

"What is it?" she asked, gaining an even larger smirk from her mother as the first response.

"Oh nothing," Daliah replied, feigning innocence in a purposely poor manner. "I'm just thinking about how adorable little tiger-striped fox-eared kittens would be."

Aeris stared at her mother for a moment, a twitch in her eye developing as a result of her building rage.

"It's not like that!" she growled, finding it difficult to keep her voice down so the entire apartment wouldn't hear.

"Oh come off it dear. I can see there's something going on between you both. You certainly don't look at Leo like you do that cute hybrid of yours."

"I-I don't have a look!"

"Whatever you say dear," Daliah replied, her smile not fading as she focused on her cooking.

* * *

><p>Having been booted from the kitchen, Alex moved to the living room to relax. Leo and his mother were gone, the gray cat showing Lin the different bed rooms, as well as their costume room, having. It left Richard being the only one there, his glare being focused on the TV. Alex noticed the show that was on appeared to be a Canadian spin of Cops. He also noticed that the officer currently on screen just so happened to be Officer Bagge, who was pepper spraying a pre-teen for littering.<p>

"So..." Alex said, sitting down on the couch, "uh, how was the trip?" Richard remained silent, not even acknowledging his presence. "Do you have any favorite, uh... sports teams?" It didn't help that Alex was terrible at conversing. "Um... what was Aeris like growing up?"

Richard turned his gaze from the television to face the hybrid. Though it seemed impossible, his brow furrowed into an even deeper glare.

"I don't like you," he said bluntly. "Nor do I like what you are and why you are here. I would throw you out from this building this very moment if it wasn't for my daughter. For over twenty years I was an officer of this country, I've seen too many of your kind and how you creatures act. Just stay away from my daughter. If I ever catch even a hint that you've had your filthy crossbred hands on her, you won't see the next sunrise."

Alex was slightly surprised at the outburst. Not due to the threat, but more on how blunt the feline was about it. The hybrid couldn't remember the last time someone outright told him of their hatred.

"Uh... oookay..." Alex muttered, realizing he was in a place he wasn't wanted, "I'll just... go and get out of your hair..." He left the living room quickly and looked for Leo. Finding him in the room full of costumes.

Leo was close to the entrance, noticing Alex's approached. His mother was on the other side of the room, looking through all the different rows of clothes that hung on the walls, picturing her son wearing them.

"So Leo..." Alex said, just loud enough to stay out of Lin's earshot. "Your last name's Leonardo?" It was the first time he had ever heard his surname and something about it was off to him.

"Yeah," he replied. The answer forced Alex to looking at him in slight confusion.

"So... so wait a second. Your name is Leonardo Leonardo?" Leo shook his head.

"No, it's Leo Leonardo." The hybrid let out a sigh.

"But Leo is short for Leonardo. You know, like my name is Alexander."

"Um... no I don't think so. It's just Leo." Groaning to himself, Alex realized that reasoning with the gray cat wasn't possible.

"Okay whatever, you're Leo Leonardo."

"The third," Leo added. Though he could hardly believe in three generations of such a name, the hybrid accepted it.

They both heard a shriek before them. Leo's mother was looking down at the ground with a fearful look on her face. On the floor, they could see an orange vest, lying in a crumpled heap where it was dropped. It resembled the one Marty used from Back to the Future.

Apologizing, Lin picked up the jacket with a trembling hand and put it away. She then quickly stepped out of the room. Worried, Alex leaned in close to Leo.

"What was that about?" he asked.

"Oh, she's a little traumatized," Leo explained. "Mom was attacked by some stranger way back when she was pregnant with me. All she remembers about it was that they wore a vest like that... and they used a hanger."

* * *

><p>The food was ready some time later. Though the spread wasn't Thanksgiving or Christmas quality, it was certainly a delicious looking meal.<p>

"And then _bam_," Leo said, smacking his hands together to add emphasis to the word, "we are all on the ground in front of the shop. After we get up and dust ourselves off, we see that we had crashed into none other then the same fox... And that's how we met." Leo finished his rendition of their first meetings together as everyone sat at the table. Though it wasn't the most exciting of tales, Daliah was particularly interested after seeing Aeris' reaction to her own failure at the tournament.

Afterward, they ate in relative silence, only every now and then would it be broken after simple question was asked, being quickly answered.

Aeris was slightly agitated however, always noticing her mother sending looks toward Alex. The embarrassment was almost unbearable, having to deal with a mother who acted like a hormone crazed school girl. Though Alex didn't seem to notice, being more focused on the salmon in front of him. Even after almost drowning it in steak sauce he seemed to find it distasteful. But after a while of picking at his fish meal, the hybrid found it was a good time to figure something out.

"So..." Alex spoke up, addressing Daliah, "how did you and Richard meet?" The white cat thought on the question for a moment before she responded.

"Same way as most people at the time I suppose, high school." She sighed fondly." Ah, I certainly miss that young love phase, so blissful. It wasn't until after our graduation that he finally proposed."

"So you're married?" he asked. Curious as to their lack of rings.

"Well we were... once. We were young and in love, it seemed obvious when we decided to tie the knot."

"But you aren't anymore?"

"Oh no," she answered it rather easily. "While we did love each other very much, eventually, we realized that we were growing distant from one another. It was after Aeris moved away that we realized we had nothing to offer each other emotionally, so we decided to divorce peacefully. We both agreed to it and have remained friends afterward. It was a mutual departure for us both, leaving neither of us spiteful or vindictive like so many other ended matrimonies do these days."

"Really?" Alex sounded surprised.

"Of course. Not many people see it these days, but love isn't as simple as they want to believe. It can come and go as it wishes, filling our lives with great happiness and leaving behind the fondest of memories. As long as you cherish those special moments you share and find nothing to regret, it is always worth it. And because of that love, our darling Aeris was born, what complaints could there be?"

Alex thought on what she had said. It wasn't a concept he was familiar with, having never explored it himself. All he ever had to go on was what he saw from his parents. But Daliah's perception of it was nothing he had ever thought of.

After the explanation, silence once again befell their meal. It continued on for some time and Daliah's gazing toward the hybrid persisted. After her longest length of a stare had ended, the white cat spoke.

"So Alex," she said, still eying him, "I hope I'm not being too personal but... I can't help but notice how your dinning manners seem to be of almost royal quality." At that, all eyes were on the hybrid. Even Alex looked down at himself, looking as though it was the first time he had ever done so.

There were noticeable differences between him and everyone else. His posture was nearly perfect where he sat, even his knife and fork were held like a master. Despite having sat down for many meals together, Aeris and Leo couldn't ever think of a time they had ever payed attention enough to notice it.

"Oh, uh..." Alex muttered, becoming nervous with everyone's attention pointed at him. "Well... I suppose it's just a product of my upbringing."

"Really?" Daliah became interested.

"Er... well..." Alex was nervously shifted in his seat. "The Kage family is actually a wealthy name around where they live, not fabulously wealthy or anything but enough to make a name for themselves. As such, they have a sense of regal etiquette. Father was taught when he was young and he ended up passing some of the teachings onto me. Though it's much less noticeable as the years have passed."

"Mmm, handsome and rich. To think you're still a bachelor." Aeris' mother leaned closer in her seat as she kept her gaze on the hybrid.

"Uh... heh, well not really. My grandparents weren't too happy when Father decided to marry outside of the species... And they were _really_ infuriated when they found out about me, so they disowned him and cut him off." The story somewhat surprised Aeris, having never heard of it. But what she remembered what Jake had said back in New York, it made her think there was more to it then he was letting on.

After Alex's story however, things became quiet once again and continued until they were all done. Having been kicked out of the cooking process, Alex wouldn't take no for an answer when he offered to do the dishes himself.

Aeris relaxed herself on the couch next to her father. Her mother was off in another part of the apartment with Leo and his mother, the gray cat explaining their jobs with Pantsman and using the costume room as a reference.

Richard didn't react to his daughter's presence. Though it may have seemed cold, Aeris was used to her father's emotionless demeanor.

"You should stay away from him," the feline said to his daughter, completely out of the blue.

"What?" Aeris didn't understand the vague statement.

"That crossbreed, your so called friend," he responded. "He's dangerous, all of his kind are." An agitated look crossed Aeris as she glared at her father.

"Dad, there's nothing wrong with him. He's a nice, normal guy." Richard merely shook his head.

"You wouldn't see it Aeris. It's his eyes, they're shifty and dark. I've seen it many times before in my work before I retired. Especially in crossbred criminals like him."

"You're only saying that because of what he is!" His obvious bigotry was beginning to anger her, something she wanted to avoid. "I know who he is and what he is like. And all he has ever been was kind and trusting."

"Are you basing that off of what you've seen, or what he's told you?" Aeris paused at the sudden question. Her father took the lack of an answer _as_ her answer. "I'm sure that ploy about his parents hasn't been the only lie his mouth has spewed." Again Aeris paused, coming off surprised that her father saw through his lie so easily. "He should be locked up now, with the rest of the filth."

Aeris' fists clenched tightly. Her aggravation was continuously growing. She was certain that if it continued she would do something regrettable.

"No Dad," she said, standing up from the couch and looking her father in the eyes. "You don't know him like I do. He's my friend and I trust him. Though he may not be perfect, he's done well for himself despite having obvious troubles. And if you can't get past your own pointless intolerance, then I guess there's nothing more for us to talk about."

With an expression of anger, Aeris left her father in search for the others. In her seething state, she didn't even notice the pair of fox ears ducking back into the kitchen as she passed.

* * *

><p>When he had finished with the dishes, Alex left the kitchen in a mildly depressed mood. He had heard the conversation Aeris had had with her father. The hybrid couldn't help but feel guilty about the conflict between them both.<p>

Sighing, Alex checked the living room to see who was where. Only Lin was there, sitting down in silence. Aeris, Leo and Daliah were back in the costume room, the sounds of their discussion able to be heard from his position. It seemed that Leo was having Aeris help him explain to her mother exactly what their job as comic stars meant, as she apparently didn't understand it very well. Richard had retired to the outside hallway, leaving to have a much needed cigarette.

Alex sat down next to Leo's mother. The hybrid noticed how silent and reclusive she was, his only explanation being of her episode with the attacker Leo explained earlier.

"So have you enjoyed the visit?" Alex asked, causing Lin to jump slightly as she noticed him.

"Oh... um... yeah, it's been okay," she said timidly. There was indeed a sense of perpetual fear about her, very mild but it was enough to cause her behavior. Alex noticed it flare up when she noticed him.

"I hope I'm not upsetting you."

"Don't worry," she replied, becoming more comfortable, "I have nothing against your kind... I once dated a nice fox a long time ago, before I met Leo the second, bless his soul." Alex remembered what Aeris had said about Leo's father, mentioning his death when the gray cat was still young.

"I'm sorry." Though she didn't know it, he could relate.

"It's okay," she said, a hint of sadness in her voice that faded away quickly. "It was hard times for a while, but I know he's in a better place. And at least I still have Leo."

"Hmm," Alex muttered. 'A better place', it just sounded like false hope to him, though he wasn't enough of an ass to tell her.

* * *

><p>It soon came time for the parents to leave.<p>

"Goodbye sweetheart," Daliah said, hugging her daughter.

"It was a pleasure meeting everyone, goodbye," Alex said, catching the gaze of Daliah.

"And goodbye to you too handsome." Rather then a hug, the white cat gave the hybrid a kiss on the cheek, one that seemed to last much longer then it should have. "And just so you know, if Aeris keeps denying you, you can always go for the next best thing." The comment was amplified as Daliah pressed her chest against the hybrid, smiling devilishly.

"Mother!"

"Oh hush Aeris, he knows I'm only joking." She winked at him as she said it. Before Alex could react, he felt a hand grab him from behind once again. Alex lurched forward slightly again as his body tensed up. With a laugh Daliah moved toward the door to wait for the others.

Leo said goodbye to his mother quickly, having enjoyed her visit. Aeris' last goodbye for her father sounded sour however, heated tension from their last conversation still evident.

With one last quick goodbye at once, the parents all left. Aeris followed them to the car downstairs to make sure they made it fine, leaving Leo and Alex alone.

Alex's ears and jaw dropped after the others had left. Turning to face Leo, he could see the gray cat snickering. They hybrid could only stare at him in his dumbfounded gaze.

He had heard Leo's jokes many times. Specific ones that involved a certain maternal figure to their pink roommate dawned on him. Alex could remember shaking his head at Leo's ridiculous jokes. Now, he didn't know what to think.

"Just... just... oh my god..." he finally said, causing Leo to chuckle louder.

"And now you understand," Leo nodded.

"I-I really wish I didn't though..."

Aeris was quick to return, seeing that Alex and Leo didn't go far from where she had left them.

"You know Aeris," Alex said as he saw her, "you could have warned me that your mother was a cradle robber." Leo burst into laughter, clutching at his sides as tears rolled down from his eyes.

Aeris took the comment in a much more opposite manner. Growling angrily and throwing a nearby phone book at the hybrid. Alex was quick to duck the thick paperback however, causing it to slam into Leo, quieting him. The pain didn't stop though as the phone book bounced from Leo's face and landed atop Alex's head, knocking him down to the floor.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Heh yup, that chapter just happened. **

**Is there really anything to say? We've got deception, back-story, randomness, potential rape. You know, normal stuff.**

**Now that I think about it, I wonder what would happen if Daliah ever met Jake... (shudder) Okay, never mind, I really don't want to picture that. **

**You know that old saying about comparing women to fine wine... blegh...**


	19. What Family Means

**Chapter 19: What Family Means**

The hybrid sat down on the couch. Rubbing the top of his head tenderly, he winced slightly as he felt a sore spot, bruised from the phone book that had gotten him. Though it seemed like he was fortunate in retrospect. As Leo, having simply been an accidental target, took the most damage, getting a bloody nose due to it. The gray cat was currently in the bathroom, washing the blood and attempting to stop the flow.

Aeris sat down on the couch with him, her previous fit of anger having ended. Now all she could feel was embarrassment and curiosity. The embarrassment obviously stemmed from the actions of her parents, her mother's sweet-tooth for boy candy and her father's apparent hate for their newest friend. What was sparking her curious nature was what she had learned of the hybrid, hearing the story of his fox family. Or as she was certain, a portion.

"Alex," she said, her tone showing her saddened state. It caused the crossbreed to show a concerned look.

"Is something wrong?"

"No no, it's just that... Well, I should apologize about my parents. Mother is...well you know. And I'm certain you saw my dad's reaction to you. I figured he had gotten over his intolerance, or at least wouldn't have shown it the way he did." A soft smile crossed Alex's face as he heard Aeris' apologize.

"It's entirely alright Aeris," he replied. "Though your mother did seem to have... boundary issues that may need to be looked into, I can't help but think I'm not the only one who has suffered it. As for your father..." Alex's smile dwindled slightly as he recalled it. "Well, I can't say I wasn't expecting it. The older the generation gets, the more likely there will be the typical resentments. Really, I'm surprised he was the only one... But I'm happy his intolerance wasn't passed down, as it oftentimes is." Aeris knew he was referring to herself, it made old memories of her childhood surface.

"I do remember my dad's attitude to cross-species when I was young. How he showed his dislike to the idea. Since I never met any hybrids, I never could understand what he meant. I didn't even know how bad it really was until you came along, so I guess you taught me a few things." Alex's smile had fully returned, the tips of his fangs beginning to poke out from his lips as it grew.

"You know, I happened to listen in on the warning he gave you earlier. My 'shifty' eyes and all." Aeris showed a disheartened look at his statement.

"Yeah, sorry about that too, he seems to think all hybrids are evil criminals or something." To her surprise, Alex began chuckling.

"Well, you have only met, what like two hybrids? Myself and Jake. And we _are_ both technically criminals. Though petty theft isn't _that_ severe."

"But that was a long time ago and out of necessity right? It doesn't seem like something to hold over you now."

"I suppose..." Alex let out another chuckle, as it ended his cheery mood quickly shifted to a serious one. "I also heard what _you_ told him. You defended me, said that I had your trust, standing up to your father and his warnings... Thank you. It certainly isn't something I hear often from people, even those that know me. I just wish I didn't cause such animosity between you and your father."

"It's okay," she answered. "He has no right to act like that toward you, but I'm sure he will eventually learn to accept that I won't share in his views."

By that time, Leo had stepped out of the bathroom, a piece of toilet paper held up to his nose. The gray cat sat down on the floor and leaned up against the third couch cushion that was unused. It was by then that Aeris' curiosity forced her to bring the topic up.

"Earlier today Alex," she said, gaining the hybrid's attention, "you talked about your more distant relatives. You've never talked about them before, was it really like that?" Alex sighed at the question, knowing that it would be asked sooner or later after what he had said. A problem existed there however, due to his feelings toward the subject.

"What I said was true, for the most part. Though I suppose you want to know everything about my relatives..." He sighed again, getting ready for what he was going to say. Leo's attention was on him as well, wanting to hear the story himself.

"Well," Alex began, "the Kage family is rather wealthy as I said. But not at all for the reasons they would tell you. My grandparents hold themselves in high regard, considering themselves of rich and noble heritage when in reality their wealth is from a few lucky breaks my great-grandfather had. Sadly, most of my family have a superiority complex and with their new found money, they could fund it.

"They had two children, my father and his brother, my uncle. Both of them were brought up in the high class light. Though Father had resentment toward the demanding attitude they showed. Naturally with their delusions of nobility, my grandparents developed purist ideals. Want, my father to marry another fox to continue the family line. But Father fell in love with a tigress and married her without his parents' consent."

"And they didn't like that?" Aeris asked, remembering the part he had told of earlier.

"Of course not, they saw it as my father defiling the family bloodline and all that nonsense. But my father didn't care, he loved her more then he feared his parents. It wasn't until after I was born that my grandparents completely disowned him, seeing me as a taint to their heritage.. Max's birth only deepened the stake shoved between us and them."

"They just wrote you off that easily?" It was hard for Aeris to belive that somone's family would treat them in such a way.

"Of course, we were monsters in their eyes and only served to ruin the Kage name. Despite it all however, Father saw getting into their good graces as a way for us to have a brighter future. So he taught us to be more sophisticated, using the same lessons he had been given in his own youth."

"That does explain a lot." Aeris had noticed the odd manner of speaking the hybrid used, occasionally switching in and out of a more refined nature.

"I was actually very different back then, you'd think I was preparing to accept a throne or something. I suppose the time I spent living on the streets butchered what I had learned... But no matter how hard he tried, my father's efforts were all for naught. He couldn't see it but there was no possible way we would be accepted as their grandchildren. If my father had ever failed us in his fatherly duties, it was trying to please a family that already saw us as nothing." Alex sighed again, feeling the old chip he had on his shoulder.

"You mentioned an uncle, what ever happened to him?"

"Married, had a kid, became a successful business man. I met him once a few years back. Regrettably, he had the same views as my grandparents so it didn't end well between us. I've seen my cousin a few times over the years, he isn't like the rest of his family, but there are other problems that have occurred between us."

"My God," Aeris muttered. She had realized that being a hybrid caused a lot of hard conflict in Alex's life, but she had no idea it would have been so deep even within his own family. The hybrid took notice to her reaction and simply shrugged it off.

"I'm certain their disdain toward my brother and I had caused some problems for me when I was younger, I simply grew out of it. Now, I couldn't care less if some ignorant foxes refused to accept the fact that species shouldn't be the primary detail in a relationship. My parents and brother were all I ever needed in terms of family. Even after I lost them, Jake became a dear friend. If anything, between my distant family and Jake, I learned that family doesn't have to do with the blood, but the bond that's shared ." Thinking about it, something occurred to Aeris, she had really only heard of half of his family.

"What about the family from your mother's side?" the feline asked. She was surprised quickly as Alex's face began twitching, her confusion was heightened as the hybrid started laughing, acting much like Leo did moments ago.

"Oh god, hahaha, y-yeah they hated us too, hehahaha. But not because my father was a fox, b-but because he wasn't Catholic!" It wasn't at all what she was expecting for an answer. Aeris didn't even expect Alex's own reaction. But as she thought about it, she could remember how he seemed to take religious matters in an amused nature. She was at least glad that the question lightened the depressed mood that the previous ones had brought.

Some time after Alex's tale, the phone rang and Leo was the one to answer.

"Huh? ... Really? ... Oh yes that is awesome I'll be right down!" Leo hung up the phone and without a word, he left the apartment in a hurry. Aeris and Alex gave each other questioning looks but neither of them knew what it was about.

Quick as a flash, Leo ran down the streets of Canada, bumping into other citizens as he had no sense of anything else around him. With his excited speed, Leo made it to the familiar door with a rectangular slot at the top.

After knocking, the slot slid open and Ternaldo's eyes peered through.

"Pashword?"

"Screw the rules, I love card games," Leo answered.

"Wrong pashword."

"What?"

"I changed it."

"B-but you called me a few minutes ago!"

"No pashword, no entry!" The slot slide shut with a slam. Leo stared at it wide eyed for several moments. But the anticipation that had been building for so long finally exploded outward as the gray feline started pounding on the door with all of his might.

Ternaldo was on the other side with fear running through his veins. Hearing the loud banging coming from outside, a fierce racket that threatened to destroy everything around it.

"Okay okay," Ternaldo relented, unlocking the door and letting Leo in.

"So do you have it finished?" Leo asked with excitement, quickly shifting out of his crazed anger.

"Yesh, I finally managed to open that lock on the game boxsh, they're over th-" Ternaldo was cut off as Leo darted about the room, finally crashing into a nearby table where the box he remembered taking from the warehouse rested.

It's lid was now opened, showing the prize that it held within. Leo paused as he gazed down at the Duke Nukem games that were inside. His heart pounded, his palms became sweaty and his mouth salivated.

"F-finally, D-D-D-Duke N-N-N-Nukem _Forever_!" Leo wiped his hands on his pants and grabbed the game, feeling the smooth surface of the plastic wrapping that kept the game fresh. A shiver shook through his hands and down his spine as he rubbed the game on his nose, sniffing deeply. "Ohhhhh yyyeahhh," he moaned, beginning to drool again.

"Get a room," Ternaldo said, already holding his own copy of the game. But his words went unheard as Leo remembered something about the current day, something he had previously worshiped for some reason.

"Wait a minute..." The gray cat turned his gaze toward a nearby calender and found the day's date. Following it, his eyes moved across to the next day written on it was a note. 'DNF release date'. Leo's expression turned blank as it hit him. "Duke Nukem Forever comes out tomorrow!" he shouted angrily, having forgotten the scheduled midnight release was the day after today. "We did all of this for nothing!"

Ternaldo gave an uneasy chuckle to the furious cat.

"Y-yeah well... it did take a whilesh to open that box... But look on the bright shide, you get a couple hours to play it early, and it's free..."

Leo shot a glare at him in response, a deep, spine chilling look that brought the poor man on the brink of wetting himself. Keeping the glare locked, Leo held his game close and marched out of the room. As soon as he made it outside, he sprinted off back toward the apartment.

Once again, Aeris and Alex became confused as Leo burst through the front door. And without a word, he ran into his room and slammed the door shut.

* * *

><p>As time passed the next day, Aeris and Alex found themselves without their third. Leo hadn't come out of his room for breakfast, even as their usual lunchtime passed there was no sign of him. After a while longer, the two decided to check up on him.<p>

"Leo," Aeris said, knocking on his door first, "are you alright?" No answer.

They opened the door and looked around. Frankly, it was hard to tell what was out of the ordinary within the giant mess of a room. But their gaze fell on the farthest corner of the room. There, they saw Leo, holding himself as he rocked back and forth. His eyes were bugged out and his fur was a mess.

"Bubblegum... yes yes... need bubblegum," he muttered incoherently.

"Leo what happened to-" Aeris began, approaching him. But she was stopped as her foot kicked something on the floor. Looking at it, she gasped as she saw the case to Duke Nukem Forever. "Oh dear god Leo," she shouted, running to his side, shaking him. "Leo, please tell me you didn't play this game! For the love of God tell me you didn't play it!"

"What's going on?" Alex asked, completely lost.

"That game," Aeris answered, "it was going to be terrible. Everyone knew it, but most were too afraid to admit it. Leo was a Duke fan since the beginning, and has been waiting for this game for fifteen years... I should have warned him... I should have acted..."

"Duke don't need no spartan armor..." Leo muttered, his head rolling to the side.

"Yeah Leo," Aeris said sadly, bringing Leo to his feet and helping to move him out of his room, "he sure doesn't."

* * *

><p>Alex sighed into the cup of coffee he had in his hand. He sat at his table facing Leo, the emotionally destroyed cat still in his traumatized state.<p>

On Aeris' request, Alex was tasked with trying to lift Leo's spirits. Though he had absolutely no idea about handling such a situation. The hybrid figured a little treat could help the feline out. Getting him out of the apartment was the most difficult part, having to literally carry him away. The hybrid chose a small coffee shop that wasn't too far from where they lived. It was famous throughout the city for its well brewed coffee and delicious pies.

A piece of that very pie was now in front of Leo. Sadly, he wanted nothing to do with it, giving it a blank stare as he continued to mumbled to himself.

"Christ Leo!" Alex barked, slamming his palms on the table. The action caused the cat to jump in his seat slightly, but he was otherwise unchanged. "This is ridiculous, I've seen people react less to way worse things then this on multiple occurrences. You need to get out more. Get a hobby, find a girlfriend, _something_!"

"Bu-but... it was so bad... I waited so long..."

"Okay yes, the game may have been terrible. But come on Leo, after being a dead franchise for so long, did you honestly think that the game would be _that_ good?"

"I... but..."

"And remember Leo, you still have all those old memories of the good times you had with Duke. Back when you were younger and his games were the greatest things you had ever played. Just think of those times and not focus on this one bad moment."

"Yeah... I suppose..." Leo's mood began to change, his sadness slowly dissipating.

"Good. Now, eat your pie. I'll be right back." Alex stood up from his seat. "Though their coffee is pretty good, it just goes right through me." The hybrid hastily made for the restroom. Apologizing quickly as he almost knocked over a female dag on his way.

Leo watched him leave. As he followed, his gaze stopped along the path he had taken. His focus was caught as he stared in wonderment at the creature that was giving him the same look.

After releaving himself, Alex returned. But they hybrid stopped in his tracks as he looked toward his table, his _empty_table.

* * *

><p>Aeris jumped as she heard the front door to the apartment swing up and slam shut. Looking disgruntled, Alex collapsed onto the couch, letting out a heated sigh the moment his body hit the cushions.<p>

"What happened?" the pink cat asked.

"He ditched me," Alex answered, glaring at the ceiling.

"What?"

"Leo. I go off to the bathroom for a minute, I come back, he's gone. Just disappeared on me."

"Wait, he disappears and you just leave him?" Averting his gaze, Alex looked at Aeris with a raised eyebrow.

"He's not a child Aeris, he can't just wander off. Why should I hunt him down?"

"He was highly depressed! You can't just leave him out there, he could hurt himself!" Just as Aeris finished, the noise of the door opening sounded off again.

Leo came into the living room, skipping merrily about.

"Hey guys," he said cheerfully, sporting his biggest smile, "I'll be in my room if you need me." Then, still skipping, Leo went into his room while Alex and Aeris starred at him.

"Yeah," Alex said, crossing his arms in a smug look, "looks _really_ depressed."

* * *

><p>The next few days were just as strange and confusing for the female cat and hybrid.<p>

Continuously, Leo would leave the apartment for unknown amounts of time, returning happier then he was before he left. Back in the apartment, he never spoke of what he was doing. Other then that however, their lives hadn't changed so they didn't put much effort into figuring it out.

But the surprise didn't need any investigation on their part.

"Morning everyone," Leo said, as happily as he normally has been lately. He sat down at the kitchen table where Aeris sipped from her morning coffee and Alex ate the last bite of his buttered toast.

"You've certainly been a lot chipper lately," Alex said, scratching his muzzle as he tried discerning the situation.

"I know," Leo replied, "it has been a good couple of days."

"Any reason why?"

A large smile stretched across Leo's face.

"Well, we thought today would be a good day to tell you guys."

"We?" Aeris asked, her ears perking up as she took another drink.

"Yeah, me and my girlfriend."

Aeris' latest sip of coffee was sprayed outward, the majority of which was directed toward Alex. But she didn't notice it as she stared at Leo, warm coffee still dripping from her gaping mouth.

"Girlfriend? !"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (dramatic organ music) See? Waaaay back in that one chapter that happened like a while back, I specifically stated that Duke Nukem Forever played a role later on... I bet you thought that whole warehouse fiasco was what I meant... hahaha so naive... **

**We've also seen more on Alex's family, showing more into his character. It'll actually be a point later on in the story as well.**

**And Leo... oh yeah, this will be fuuuuun.**

**So yeah, where am I going with this? You'll have to find out...**


	20. Leo's Special Some Kitty?

**Chapter 20: Leo's Special Some... Kitty?**

"How nice," Alex grumbled to himself, wiping off the warm mixture of coffee and spit that Aeris had shot into his face.

The pink cat kept her gaze toward Leo though, having just heard something she thought she never would have.

"Bu-but what, how, when... when did this happen?" Aeris asked, still in disbelief. The gray feline was rubbing the back of his neck in slight embarrassment, having no idea how his roommates would react to his news.

"Well, we met a few days ago at that shop Alex took me to. She was really nice and interesting, we totally clicked. For the past week we've been seeing each other for a little while. She then decided that you guys should know about her too, so you guys can meet."

"So that's what's been going on," Alex said. Having cleaned himself up, he was now listening to Leo with interest, showing a better reaction then Aeris. "Well good for you. Seems she is quite the girl if she can make you so happy." A grin formed on his face as he eyed Leo. "So, when do we meet the lucky lady?"

"We had planned for her to visit later on today, then we would go out for lunch so you guys can really see what she's like."

"That certainly seems like a fine idea."

Leo then got up from his seat and smiled at them both.

"I'm actually heading off to meet her now. When the time comes, we'll come here so I can introduce you guys."

"Alright, have fun." The gray cat waved goodbye and left the apartment. "Huh, Leo with a girlfriend. Should be interesting to see." He directed the statement toward Aeris but as he looked at her, he could see she wasn't paying attention to it. The feline was caught in a blank stare, having hardly moved since Leo explained himself. "Aeris... helloooo."

The hybrid tried waving his hand and snapping his fingers in front of her for a reaction, but there was nothing. Pausing for a moment to think, Alex picked up the almost empty cup of coffee Aeris and dumped the rest of the warm liquid on top of her.

"Ah," she yelped in surprise, quickly finding her anger and shooting a glare at the hybrid. "Dammit Alex! What the hell was that for?"

"Because you seemed to be turning into a zombie," Alex said with a growing grin. "Plus, turnabout is fair play."

* * *

><p>A few hours passed with little done between both of them, other then Aeris washing her hair of coffee of course. They were both too curious about Leo's so called girlfriend to keep their minds on doing anything. Even Aeris had gotten over her surprise and seemed to be thinking on something.<p>

"Well," Alex said, looking up at the clock, "it's getting close to our usual lunch hour. They should be coming over soon." Aeris huffed to herself as she stared at the wall.

"Ten bucks says she's as ugly as sin."

"Oh-hoho," Alex chuckled, "that is _so_ mean... I'll put twenty on her being clinically insane." They both had a laugh. Though it was incredibly cruel, they really couldn't picture what kind of a girl would fall for Leo.

After several minutes of them waiting they heard a knock at their door. They both got up and approached it, hearing it knock once again.

"That can't be them can it?" Aeris asked.

"Not sure why," Alex responded with a shrug, reaching for for the door. "It's not like he can't get in himsel-" As Alex opened the door, the hybrid was cut off by a soft clicking sound and a bright flash. "Ah! My eyes!" he yelled, clutching his face and falling backward onto the floor.

"Haha, you got him good," a familiar voice said with joy. After a moment of blindness, the hybrid's eyes started to regain their sight. Though they still burnt as though they were on fire, he was able to see a gray cat grinning down at him.

"Owww, what on earth was that?"

"My girlfriend," Leo said in a matter-of-fact tone. The hybrid merely glared at him, finding it difficult to hold with his damaged eyes.

"I think we can get introductions out of the way now," a female voice said. Alex couldn't help but notice how sweet it sounded.

After rubbing his eyes, Alex opened them fully to see where the voice was coming from. At first, all he could see was a blurred outline of black. It took several moments for his eyes to readjust and he could see who was in front of him. The hybrid was taken by surprise, for several reasons in fact. Even Aeris was silent as she looked at none other then Leo's girlfriend.

For one thing, she wasn't even a cat, she was a dog. A black and white furred husky breed. Her long hair was pure black while the rest of her body was a mismatch pattern of white and black. A small chunk of her bangs on one side were also dyed a dark purple, purposely styled just so to cover a part of her eye.

Her attire consisted of several pieces. She wore a pair of tight fit pants that hugged her waist, a small top that exposed her midriff and a thin, short sleeve jacket along with several bracelets that dangled around her wrists. Most notable was a camera she had, a strap attached to it kept it around her neck. It was an expensive model, with an improved focus lens and flash, something you wouldn't see casual photographers use. Aeris noticed it's capabilities easily enough, having seen the ones Pantsman used for his own work.

Even though he wasn't particularly in to dogs, Alex couldn't deny that the husky in front of him was most defiantly a looker. It was even harder to miss the curves of her body, shown off by the tight fitting clothing she wore. Leo certainly lucked out.

"It's nice to finally meet you two," the husky said with a cheerful smile. "You must be," she pointed to each of them in turn, "Aeris and Alex."

"That's right," Alex said with a mild groan, his eyes still stinging from what he could now realize was a camera flash.

"Mmhmm," Aeris replied herself, speaking in a seemingly abrasive manner.

"You may call me Kerissa. Leo has told me so much about you both." Kerissa approached Aeris. "You're just as fond of video games as Leo is, as well as a writer of sorts, right?" The pink cat gave a nodded. "Well, I just love reading myself. Maybe we can sit down and discuss our favorite novels." She left Aeris' side and moved to Alex. "And you are the more even tempered friend Leo's mentioned."

"Even tempered?" Aeris said, understanding what the comment meant.

"Oh yes, from what Leo's said, he doesn't blow his top at everything." Kerissa said it all with the same happy smile, turning back to Alex and not catching the glare from Aeris. The canine then grabbed onto Alex's forearm and examined it. "I was surprised to hear Leo was friends with a hybrid. I don't think I've ever seen one myself, certainly an uncommon sight."

"Uh, thanks?" Alex wasn't sure how to respond to such a statement. Though Kerissa didn't seem to notice as she began thinking.

"Hm, obvious fox traits... I'd say you're other half is... tiger? And it was your father who was the fox?"

"Huh, that's correct. How did you know?"

"Lucky guess," she said with a shrug. Kerissa then stepped back and held up her camera. The hybrid was once again blinded by a white flash as she took his picture.

"Argh," he growled, feeling the burning sensation return to his sockets. "_Please_ don't do that, my eyes can't take something like that."

"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't think it would hurt you like that." After adjusting a setting on her camera, she took another picture, this time the flash didn't go off. "Oh, this is interesting." Kerissa approached the hybrid and leaned in close to him.

"Uh... excuse me?" Alex said, leaning backward. The husky stared at him intently, her gaze locking on to his neck.

"You wear a dog collar," she finally replied. As she raised a finger up to it, Alex jerked back. Not being deterred, the female dog tilted her head and saw the names stitched across it. "Oh," she muttered, with a saddened pout, "that's your family, isn't it? Leo told me what happened."

"Oh he did did he," Alex said, turning a look toward the gray cat who was sporting a goofy smile while rubbing the back of his neck nervously.

"Well," Leo said, "we can discuss each other more while we are eating."

"That's right," Kerissa said happily, "what better way to get acquainted then over lunch."

* * *

><p>They ate the local delicatessen, each ordering a simple sandwich mixed with the different meats and cheeses the shop had to offer.<p>

"Well we do have something in common," Kerissa said, addressing Alex, "our place of origin. I'm from the states as well. L.A. actually, very nice city to grow up in."

"Never been there myself," Alex replied, "though I assume it's as bad as any other city in the country."

"Oh, it's not all bad there. Really, I grew up in a rather normal environment. Though it was kind of strange for me since I had to grow up with two fathers."

"Huh," Aeris said, picking up on what she was saying, "so your father was..."

"Yeah, divorced and my mom re-married," Kerissa nodded, finishing for her.

Aeris stared blankly at her for a moment, her train of thought being wrecked as it wasn't the answer she had anticipated. Both Leo and Kerissa didn't seem to notice, but the pink cat noticed Alex looking at her while stifling a chuckle.

"It was actually my stepfather who got me into photography," Kerissa continued, holding up the camera she still had around her neck. "Now it's both my passion and profession."

"What do you do?" Aeris asked, trying to divert her own mind from the mishap she gave herself. "Family pictures? Newspapers? Advertising?"

"Freelance actually. I've done a bit of everything. My favorite job back home was when I took pictures of this woman's cheating husband. To my surprise, his lover was actually the current mayor of the city. Goodness, the scandal that started was hilarious, and the publicity for me wasn't bad either."

"If it was so good," Alex remarked, "then why move all the way up here?" Kerissa sighed as she thought of the answer.

"Mostly, it was the boredom that got to me. After a while, taking photos of corrupt politicians and spoiled celebrities gets stale. I went for a good change in scenery and have enjoyed my stay here." She smiled as she leaned toward Leo and kissed him on the cheek. "It also let me meet this sweet kitty, so there are no complaints."

"Yeah, I'm sure," Aeris said, grumbling it through her sandwich before taking a ferocious bite, her words coming out muffled. Though the two lovebirds didn't notice.

"Well, heh, things seem to be going well for you two," Alex spoke up. Drawing attention away from Aeris and her increasing agitation.

"Oh he is just a sweetheart," Kerissa replied, her eyes shifted between Aeris and Alex, "and of course it's wonderful to be able to meet his friends."

* * *

><p>Aeris and Alex now saw more of Leo and his new girlfriend. Every now and then she would come to the apartment, taking Leo away to do something. Sometimes they stayed in the apartment and Leo tried teaching her how to play his favorite games, Kerissa was surprisingly good at it.<p>

Their relationship didn't seem to go anywhere though. Even if they haven't been together for very long, they seemed to be stuck in a "young love" phase. They hugged often enough, though their kissing consisted of mostly on the cheek and rarely a peck on the lips. Then again, Alex preferred it that way, figuring Aeris felt the same.

One day in particular challenged those preferences. As Kerissa visited the apartment, her and Leo both went into his room and shut the door, sparing little words except for a simple hello to Leo's friends.

Aeris and Alex looked at each other strangely as they heard Leo's door shut and music coming from behind it. Natural curiosity welled up inside them as they moved toward the door.

Alex was pushed forward by Aeris, almost slamming into the door as consequence. Shooting her an angry look, the hybird crept closer to the door and flattened his ear against it. He could hear two voices, somewhat difficult to hear against the music in the room and leaving little else to catch. It was a usual noise however, though Leo didn't show a taste for music, Kerissa's visits usually accompanied it.

"I really think I need the protection," Leo's voice said.

"Oh nonsense," Kerissa disagreed, "my experience has taught me it's such a waste."

Their voices stopped for some time. Aeris looked at Alex oddly as he made strange faces, unable to hear for herself.

"Goodness Leo," Kerissa finally said, "you're much better at this then I had thought."

"Well," Leo said, with an amused breathe, "I've been waiting to do this for a while."

"Really? I had assumed you and Aeris..."

"No... Aeris wouldn't want to do anything like this with me."

"That's too bad. Well... we could always ask Alex. I'm sure he's the kind of guy who would _love_ joining in."

At that point Alex tried pulling away from his eavesdropping, but quickly found himself glued to the door. Like witnessing a horrible car crash, unable to look away no matter how hard you try.

"I've thought about asking him once... but I doubt he's into this sort of thing."

"Mmm, don't worry. I can be _very_ persuasive, I'm sure he'll secretly love it, they always do."

Alex's mind went blank for a moment, starring off into space. Too lost to notice it, the hybrid had no chance to hear the sound of Leo's doorknob clicking from it being turned. He was thrust back into his usual thinking as he fell forward and hit the floor.

"Alex, what are you doing?" Leo asked, looking down at the hybrid lying at his threshold.

"Uh, I er... I-I just... Aeris tripped me!" He pointed an accusatory finger at the pink feline next to him. "Uh... yeah, good thing you opened that door, heh, I might have hit it pretty bad."

With the door opened, Alex could see the inside of his room. Expecting to see something much worse, the hybrid was shocked to only see Kerissa sitting on Leo's bed, a board game lying in front of her.

"Hey Alex," she called, smiling at him sweetly, "we're playing LIFE, would you care to join us?"

"Uh... n-no no thanks..." he answered, barely able to form a sentence. The husky pouted at him as Leo turned to her.

"See, I told you he wouldn't want to play." The gray cat's focus returned to the hybrid next to him. "I need your advice on something, Kerissa thinks I don't need the insurance, but I say the protection for my house will be a better investment."

"I-I really wouldn't know..."

"Oh okay," Leo said, moving past Alex and into the kitchen to grab two drinks. The feline then returned to his room and shut the door to continue the board game with his girlfriend.

Alex just stared at the nearest wall blankly. Having not heard it herself, Aeris tried seeing what was wrong. But Alex just kept his thousand yard stare going.

"I... I'm going to go bash my head against a wall for a little while."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (insert CatDog references here)**

**So, how bout that Leo huh...**

**If you haven't noticed by now, I'm terrible at naming things, whether it be for characters or things... mostly characters in this context... God, you should see me in RPGs that let you name your character... ugh. **

**A bit of a reference with the chapter title as well, don't worry if you don't get it though. **

**And just so everyone knows, Kerissa's species doesn't have anything to do with anything. Just a random thought that I figured 'meh'. Also mainly that I didn't feel like adding in another cat, seems a bit (cough) overdone. Pretty much anything that adds in a new character, they're another cat, iono, I like variety... And who's to say that in a world of anthropomorphic creatures that a cat couldn't fall for a dog. (especially since inter-species relationships is a small theme here)**

**Chapter also took a bit longer then I expected. It's actually due to me re-working on a bit of chapter 18. Which should be updated by the time this chapter is put up too. Big thanks to nintendosegasonyguy as well for his review on said chapter. His constructive criticism helped me see some of the flaws the chapter had.(I swear I only cried for twenty minutes) Though I wouldn't say I did a spectacular change to it, but I think I helped make it read a bit better as well as address some issues it had.**

**Oh, and by the by, the ending to this chapter is obviously not inspired by the greatest piece of VG cats fanart ever... (poker face)**


	21. Tugging on Heartstrings

**Chapter 21: Tugging On Heartstrings**

Leo saved his game and turned off his 3DS. Storing it away, Leo leaned against the wall his bed was against and stared off into space.

He had been seeing Kerissa for nearly over two weeks and yet he was still confused about somethings. It wasn't as if he was used to the concept of having a girlfriend, nor was he sure of what it really meant. Aeris was the only other girl he had ever gotten close to and she had just became a friend. Still though, he had known her for years. And while he used to have a crush on her in their younger years, it stewed for a long time before they finally realized they wouldn't go any further then what they already are.

But Kerissa seemed to come out of nowhere. She was sweet and Leo really enjoyed her company, then after seeing her for a while it seemed to abruptly turn into them being boyfriend and girlfriend. It had happened so fast. Did it normally work that way?

It was the first time he really thought on it. Since things were somewhat hectic with their first few dates, then things seemed to change when he told Aeris and Alex about Kerissa. Alex didn't seem to react too strangely to it, supporting him and treating her like any kind of friend. Aeris however... Leo didn't even know. She seemed to be stand-offish toward both of them. All Leo could assume was just that it was a new face and she was just getting used to her. Aeris did in fact act a little strange toward Alex the first few times he was over.

But Leo hoped the current day would bring on new results. Aeris was gone from the apartment, taken away by Kerissa as a 'girl's day out'. Of course, Aeris seemed reluctant to go, but never voiced any real opinion. But after much urging between the three of them, she relented and was dragged off to bond.

Having thought on it, Leo stood up and left his room. There in the living room, Alex was lounging on the couch. The hybrid had a large stack of papers in his hands and was flipping through them every few moments.

"What are you doing?" Leo asked, trying to see what the papers were, all he could see were lines of black lettering.

"Reading," he answered, not taking his gaze from the page he was on.

"Doesn't look like any book I've ever seen."

"It's more of a rough draft," Alex muttered, looking up to face Leo. "Aeris asked me to read a book she's writing. Well, she _commanded_ me to. Even threatened me with a rusty icecream scoop..."

"Huh."

"Yeah... the thing is though, the main problem is that she's trying to make this out to be a novel. So far, every chapter has mostly been revolving around multiple male characters having sex out of nowhere with little to no plot involved. Really, she shows excellent potential, but she really needs to change her subject matter. Either that or she could go into writing erotica." Alex set the pile of papers down and looked back at Leo. "Anyway, do you want something?"

"Well," Leo muttered, looking at the floor uneasily, "I guess, I was wondering... if you had any advice about... girls... and uh, dating."

The hybrid's first response was merely him raising his eyebrow questioningly.

"What have I ever done to make you think I could offer any sort of insight into the subject?"

"I don't know," Leo shrugged, "you're the only guy I could ask."

Alex thought on the response. From what he had seen, Aeris was the only sensible person Leo knew. Other then Pantsman but he had his doubts a man that wears boxers over his face would be able to give solid dating advice. And apparently they were no longer in the twenty-first century as asking a girl about dating other girls is obviously out of the question.

"Ugh," Alex groaned lightly, not thinking of himself as an expert on such things, "I don't know... Isn't this something you should have learned years ago?"

"Well..." Leo's muttered, his ears drooping down, "Dad died before I was old enough..." It hadn't occurred to the hybrid that Leo had missed out on many discussions and talks that sons usually have with their fathers. Then again, his own father wasn't very equipped in that department either. The time he tried teaching him the 'birds and the bees' still had a small scar in his emotional psyche.

"Hmm," Alex thought aloud, dropping his annoyed uncertainty as he understood Leo's predicament. "All I could really say is the obvious. Just be yourself, at least if you're after a relationship anyway. No point in being with someone you have nothing in common with."

"I guess things are going fine then..."

"It doesn't mean you can't pick up new interests along the way. Kerissa likes photography, use that. See if you can't like it too, it'll bring you both together even more so."

"Well, it is kind of fun to take pictures. What about things like... kissing?"

"Don't you two already kiss? You seem all over each other whenever your around."

"You know what I mean," Leo mumbled with a huff.

"Ugh, god dammit... It's not really something you can force Leo, it is more of an emotional response. It requires the right moment that you either find, or it'll find you. When you know it's right for the both of you." The hybrid shot a smirk to Leo. "Who knows, maybe you'll get lucky and Cupid himself will lend a hand."

* * *

><p>While the boys chatted, Kerissa and Aeris were out and about in the city. Though one was having a much more enjoyable time then the other.<p>

Aeris grumbled to herself as she followed the husky through the local mall. What was Kerissa's idea as a 'girl's day out' involved shopping, something Aeris detested. It wasn't as though she didn't enjoy buying games every now and then, but the usual girl things such as clothes and shoes weren't something she enjoyed. Quite frankly, it was a large reason she hated the mall in the first place.

It also didn't help that the company that was with her just so happened to be her current least favorite person. The constant question of 'Will Leo like it?' whenever the canine picked up some random article of clothing also chiseled into her deepening agitation.

The last store they had visited nearly turned into an incident as Aeris about snapped the neck of a poor, unsuspecting employee who was simply asking them if they needed anything.

"Oh cheer up Aeris," Kerissa said in an energetic mood. "You're supposed to be having fun."

"This _isn't_ fun," the feline growled. Not even the sweet smells of the nearby food court could do a thing to make her day a little brighter. She thought of ditching the dog in a store at one point, but considering she would have to see her again eventually, she thought better then to create the awkward moment.

"You need to lighten up. Spend some money, hit on a guy or two, act like a girl for once."

"Excuse me?" Aeris didn't know whether to sound offended or surprised. 'Act like a girl'? The pink cat hadn't realized it was possible not to.

"I mean no insult to it," Kerissa immediately responded. "I'm just saying you're too tensed, you need to relax..." The husky's gaze slowly shifted toward a pair of boys their own age who quickly turned their heads away to hide the fact they were starring at them, or at least, starring at her. "Hmm, silly boys, Leo's the only man I need." Aeris made a gagging noise, unnoticed by the canine she was trailing.

"You're the one who dresses like that." She was indicating the outfit she wore, just as tight and curve showing as everything else she wore.

"Oh, but that's the fun, isn't it? Watching these hormone driven drool sacks think their stares and whispers will blow right past us. They're no better then their quadruped counterparts. They're certainly just as amusing."

"I wouldn't know." It wasn't as though she typically caught gazes of others as she passed by. Not that she cared for them.

"It's no wonder," Kerissa retorted, "the way you look and carry yourself." Aeris was about to say something, her brow already furrowed into a glare. "Okay okay, worded poorly I know. It's just that you give off the wrong message." Now the pink cat's brow was raised in a look of questioning. "Well, no offense, but you wear the least flattering clothes for a girl with your figure, you have a wallet instead of a purse and you look as though you're on a constant binge of PMS. Really, I'm sure guys would be all over you if you didn't make them think you would kill them, or make them think you're a lesbian."

"A what!"

"See, it's _that_ fury that scares them away... And I'm not insinuating anything. It's as I said, you simply give off the signal, not that there's anything wrong with it or anything."

"Hmph," Aeris huffed, looking away from the husky.

"Maybe," Kerissa thought, a smirk reaching across her mouth, "it's because you already have a very specific someone in mind." The pink cat shot a glare at her.

"And what do you mean by _that_?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all." Kerissa's expression didn't change. After some time of them walking through the mall, Kerissa gasped happily as she thought of something. "I know! I am going to find the perfect outfit for you, something that will turn any sensible guy into a drooling husk." The monochromatic dog clutched Aeris' arm and pulled her into a nearby store.

"Hey, let me go!"

* * *

><p>Some time had passed after Leo played student to Alex in the field of romance. Despite being given information that could hardly be considered informative, the gray cat still took the advice well.<p>

At the moment, Leo perched himself on the armrest of the couch, starring blankly at the TV while kicking his hanging feet back and forth. Alex had returned to the 'book' he had and was on the home stretch in page count.

"So..." Leo said, breaking the thick silence, "what about you?"

"What about what?" Alex asked, not bringing his eyes up.

"About you and girls, any important ones you remember?"

"You want to know about my love life?" Alex gave an odd look to the feline who was nodding his head. "Can't say there are any to talk about." The hybrid left the answer at that and returned to the paragraph he was on.

"Really?" Though Leo had never thought of comparing the hybrid and past romances until now, he found himself surprised to hear such an answer.

Before answering, Alex let out a sighing exhale and put the stack of papers down.

"Romantic entanglements aren't exactly a priority in my life Leo. It's not really due to a lack of chances or anything. I just don't feel like tethering myself for a singular emotional response that dictates I need a significant other."

"What's so bad about having someone close?" Alex took a deep breathe and made a scoffing sound.

"You should know Leo. Tell me, when you're father passed, how did it make you feel?"

"I..." Leo paused, thinking on the answer. "I was sad, depressed, like something inside of me had died... For the longest time, I thought it would never end."

"Exactly," Alex stated. "It's the tragedy of life, to find love in family, that one special person you're meant to spend the rest of your life with. The tragic part is the inevitability of life's end, then the pain that said end will bring. Why allow your heartstrings to be stretched and pulled by the hand of someone you care for only to have them eventually snap? When I lost my family, it tore my heart to pieces. Now... I try to avoid such pointless grief. It makes my life easier, painless."

It was somewhat depressing to hear that kind of an answer. Leo looked down at the ground with uncertainty, Alex took notice to it.

"Don't let my own ideals make you think any less of your own. You're entitled to whatever happiness you can find. And if Kerissa can help with that, then by all means indulge yourself."

The deafening silence returned for some time. Leo continued to watch TV while Alex was finishing up the reading assignment Aeris had given him.

Then, their attention was diverted toward the front door, the faint click of the front door's knob sounding off. Kerissa stepped through as it opened, shopping bags dangling from her arms and a smile plastered on her face.

"So how have the boys been faring?"

Neither of them answered the question, Alex gave a mild shrug and Leo got up and hugged his girlfriend.

"How was your day out?" he asked.

"Fantastic," she answered, her smile deepened as she looked between Leo and Alex. "It's fortunate you are both here as well. I've got a little surprise." Their curiosity picking up, Leo and Alex as they looked at Kerissa attentively. Still smiling, she turned to the doorway while the two boys gaped.

They saw the one person who was missing from the apartment walking in.

Aeris was different. The clothes she wore when she left were gone, replaced by brand new pieces that were a stark contrast to what her usual attire consisted of.

Rather then pants, she wore a red skirt that only went down past half of her thigh, the rest of her pink legs out in the open in all their glory. The shirt she wore was black with long sleeves, most notable was how it looked to be an intentional size too small, causing it to hug her torso snugly. Even a matching purse was at her side, though the pink feline held it awkwardly, clearly not used to such a concept. What was most surprising was not only what she wore in terms of clothing, but also the makeup. Both Leo and Alex were shocked to see it, red lipstick on her lips and mascara that brought more attention to her eyes.

"W-Wow..." Alex stammered, unable to form any other form of language. An almost silent giggle came from Kerissa as she eyed the hybrid.

"How does the floor taste?" she asked with a hushed whisper. Quickly catching her meaning, Alex cleared his throat loudly as if a bad esophagus was what caused his previous infantile attempt at speech.

"I feel stupid," Aeris said heatedly, crossing her arms.

"Uh... d-don't be absurd," Alex said, smiling uneasily. "A little surprising... but... heh, you look great. Er- not that you didn't look fine before or anything... heh-heh." Aeris' agitated demeanor softened slightly as she watched Alex eying her. "Uh... L-Leo, care to add your own opinions?"

"Eh," Leo replied with a shrug. "Seems a little skimpy." He then flinched back slightly as he caught the seething glare Aeris shot at him.

"I don't like it, doesn't feel like me," Aeris muttered, wiping away the lipstick from her mouth.

"You should have seen the looks she got on the way here," Kerissa said to the boys. "Might have caused a wreck or two if the streets weren't so empty at the time." The husky returned to Leo and hugged him tightly. "But she can have all the stares, since I'm already taken."

"That's good to know," Leo said with a chuckle.

"Okay then," Kerissa said, letting go of Leo and kissing him on the cheek, "I think I'll be heading off for now, there are a few things I need to take care of before the day is over with."

"Goodbye for now." Leo kissed her on the cheek just before she left, causing the dog to giggle girlishly. Aeris' glare was just as fiery as ever, but going unnoticed by the two lovebirds, but one hybrid noticed it with a look of concern.

* * *

><p>The next day, there was a knock at the apartment door.<p>

Alex answered it to see Kerissa on the other side, her usual cheery attitude greeting him.

"Oh, hello Kerissa," Alex greeted. "Leo's actually not here at the moment."

The hybrid had had the apartment to himself for a short while already, both Aeris and Leo were called off by Pantsman. It was apparently about their work they did with him, so he didn't question it. But he was told it wouldn't take too long, so he expected them back soon.

"I know," the husky replied, stepping into the apartment. "I figured I could just wait around here for him.

"Alright, make yourself at home. I was just watching some TV."

Alex sat back down onto the couch. The show he was currently on was a simple criminal investigation show. However his interest in it was low as he realized how inept Canadian investigators were, it reminded him of the ones back home.

Kerissa sat down next to him, the sound of her tail brushing against the back cushion was her only noise. It was something the hybrid found odd about dogs, always wanting to keep their tails in motion.

"So," Alex said, gaining the dog's attention, "what do you and Leo have planned for today?"

"Oh the usual," she replied, "we like taking long walks through the city and talk."

"Huh, what do you guys talk about?"

"Simple things, about the city, how our jobs are going, sometimes about you."

"You talk about me?" The hybrid was slightly surprised by the answer.

"Well, you and Aeris. I like to get to know the people I'm around more. And of course Leo likes to talk, and he certainly has many funny stories."

"Heh, yeah I bet."

"There is something I'm curious about. Leo mentioned you knew a hybrid, but he never went into details. Jake I think his name was?"

"Yeah, he's actually a close friend of mine. Leo and Aeris ended up meeting him not too long ago when we took a trip to America. He had a plan to come up here to visit, though I'm not sure when that would be."

"Really? How interesting," Kerissa said. "What's he like?"

"Uh... well... I really couldn't answer that question very well. Not without crossing some lines of vulgarity that shouldn't be mentioned in the presence of a lady."

"Oh, is he some kind of skirt-chaser or something?"

"I think whore would be the more appropriate vernacular," Alex replied with a chuckle.

Soon they were both laughing. Finding the answer funny.

"What's going on?" A voice asked. Kerissa and Alex looked to see Leo watching them.

"Oh, Leo," Kerissa said in mild surprise. "We didn't hear you come in." She got up and wrapped her arms around the cat.

"I said you didn't need to come here this early," Leo said.

"Oh it's alright," the canine replied, "Alex is _wonderful_ company."

They continued to hug each other affectionately. But Leo's gaze wasn't focused on his girlfriend. Rather, his eyes were watching the hybrid before him intently.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Goodness, 21 chapters, with no sign of stopping just yet. 80000+ words too, and counting. By the rate this is going, it might actually beat the last large fic I did. **

**It does feel slightly weird to get to some of these chapters I thought I would _never_ get to. Just simple ideas in my head for how the story would be going at this point, then you finally put it up and you realize how long you've been working on this thing.**

**Ah well, it'll be done when it's done. I'm always trying to improve my update speed and keep it without sacrificing quality. **

**Anyway, this chapter doesn't show a whole lot, but a little insight into a certain character's thought process. And Aeris... yeah, forced wardrobe changing isn't always fun... Then showing up at the precise moment to cause heads to spin and tongues to hit the floor, or at least the singular. You could even argue that maybe it was intentional...(wink wink, nudge nudge, knowing look) **

**Next few chapters are gonna be fun, I can tell.**


	22. Rage of the Canadian Variety

**Chapter 22: Rage of the Canadian Variety**

Leo starred at himself in the bathroom mirror. Taking his comb, he adjusted his hair to his usual style. Next, he breathed into his palm and sniffed it. Not liking what he smelt, Leo grabbed his toothbrush and quickly brushed his teeth.

One more thing was needed. The gray cat picked up the collar on the counter and buckled it around his neck, giving the bell hanging from the front a small flick to hear its jingle.

The sound of laughter could be heard from outside of the bathroom as Leo exited. He looked to the source to see Alex and Kerissa on the couch, both finding something amusing.

"I kid you not," Alex said. "He was in the corner looking exactly like this." The hybrid attempted re-enacting Leo's face after playing Duke Nukem Forever. It didn't work out as well as intended though as he couldn't help but smile.

"Oh goodness," Kerissa laughed, trying to stop it with a hand over her mouth. "That's so terrible, w-we really shouldn't laugh haha." She stopped as she noticed Leo watching them. "Oh sorry hun, Alex was just telling me of what led you to our meeting."

"Hm," Leo muttered, glancing at the hybrid before looking back to his girlfriend. "Well, are you ready?"

The husky got up and grabbed onto Leo's hand.

"Of course, let's get going." She tugged the feline's arm and they left the apartment.

* * *

><p>"Oh, what an excellent choice Leo," Kerissa said in admiration as they entered the very cafe where they had met.<p>

The young couple ordered their favorite coffee and the most appetizing piece of pie they could find before sitting down.

It didn't seem like the most romantic of places, but it was the meaning behind it that was held. Romance was more about who the person you spent your time with, more so then the destination. It was in fact the place where Leo and Kerissa first met. The gray feline could remember that day fondly.

Though it wasn't the greatest day in his life at the beginning, his mind still shattered from his favorite gaming hero being destroyed in that abomination of a game, but it quickly turned around in that cafe.

After Alex had ran off to the bathroom, Leo's gaze was still off in the direction he had gone. Along that path, he saw a black and white husky girl, who the hybrid nearly ran into on his way to relieve himself.

Kerissa's choice in attire hasn't changed much since Leo has known her, that day was no different. It was actually what made his gaze on her last as long as it did. His stare didn't go unnoticed however as he was shocked to see the canine approach him. The blood rushed to his face as he looked down at the table, unable to shake the embarrassment to look at her.

But rather then being scolded like he expected, the husky greeted him sweetly. She gave her name and Leo gave his.

Her first question was on Alex, inquiring if they knew each other. The gray cat answered with a joke that had to do with the hybrid and running water. To his surprise, Kerissa actually laughed at it.

But it ended as the husky realized it was time for her to leave. Feeling a new energy flowing through him, Leo offered to walk with her for a while and chat. She was reluctant about it at the first moment, thinking it rude to leave a friend while he was gone. After reassurance from Leo however, she accepted his company and the two left.

Throughout their walk the two chatted about each other. The flow of the conversation occasional broke as Leo attempted another joke, to which the husky would laugh, lifting his spirits even more.

After some time, they parted ways, but plans had already been made for them to meet up at the park the following day to get to know each other more. Leo happily skipped home that day, certain he had made a new friend.

But that 'friendship' grew. As Leo got to know the canine more, he quickly found himself falling for her. Kerissa was pretty, though it was the first time Leo had seen any sort of attractiveness in anyone other then a cat. She was nice, a godsend when compared to Aeris. But the thing that got Leo the most was how she enjoyed his comedy. How she laughed at his jokes and stories. It was unlike anything he had had before. Whenever he tried to be funny around Aeris, she either insulted him or became enraged due to the subject. Even Alex brushed off his comedic genius, not finding it funny. But not Kerissa.

"Earth to Leo," Kerissa said. The feline awoke from his daydreaming and nodded his head to show his attentiveness.

"Yeah, I'm here."

"You're so adorable when you're thinking," Kerissa replied with a giggle. "Actually, I've been thinking as well. I'm still curious about somethings."

"Oh really, like what?"

"Well," Kerissa started, a girlish smile crossing her muzzle, "I want to know more about your hybrid friend." Leo was taken aback by that.

"You... want to talk about... Alex?"

"Yeah, I feel like I don't know hardly anything about him. He's just so nice and all, and I feel so rude about not having a larger idea of how he ticks."

They spent the remainder of their time together talking about the hybrid in question. Mostly, it was Kerissa asking questions while Leo answered.

The whole ordeal had an unusual effect on the feline. Thoughts of Alex's time with his girlfriend swept through his mind, his actions and remarks. Kerissa didn't seem to notice the growing agitation in the gray cat before her. Even the sound of Leo's claws digging into the table's wooden underside was missed on her part.

They both left the cafe in opposite directions. Both of their homes were in different parts of the cities and Kerissa was adamant in not forcing Leo to follow her all the way to her own abode.

The walk of solitude only left Leo with a brewing angst that couldn't be shaken off. New feelings heated to a boil as he thought more and more of Alex. His tricky ways, his subtle tactics and plotting behind someone's back. The hybrid was best friends with Jake after all. The black furred womanizer seemed to want any female he set his eyes on, he even tried going for Aeris when he thought he had a chance. Who's to say Alex wasn't the same? Just much more subtle about it.

Leo's hands were pushed into his pockets, so forcefully that it seemed the stitching might break. His teeth grinding against each other as his trek home intensified his frustrating paranoia of his newest friend plotting against him in secret.

Making it back to the apartment, Leo opened the front door and walked in. He first noticed Alex, sitting on the couch and watching TV silently. Hearing the door open and close caused the hybrid to turn and look at the cat as he came into view.

"Ah, it's loverboy," he said with a mildly interested tone. "How was the 'date'?" It was at that moment, Leo felt his anger spilling over.

"Just shut up!" he bellowed. Alex's eyes widened in surprise. "You and your god damn deep sounding philosophical bullshit! Your sneaky little plans and plots, thinking you'll get away with anything! All the lies and ploys to throw me off guard! I know what you want!"

"Whoa whoa, easy there Leo," Alex tried saying, getting up from the couch to try and reason with the furious feline. "I'm a little confused here, but just try and calm down."

"No! I won't be calm! I know exactly what you're up to, how you want to take her from me!"

There was no possible way that Alex could expect Leo's next move. With a furious yell, Leo charged the hybrid and tackled into his chest. All Alex could utter was a surprised groan of impact as he fell backward onto the floor with Leo following.

They tumbled across the floor a few times. Leo trying to inflict whatever damage he could and Alex just trying to get the cat off of him.

As they pushed off one another, they stood up and realized they had made it into the kitchen. Still trying to grasp the situation, Alex attempted to reason with the crazed cat but to no avail. Only able to rile him up more, Leo raised a fist up and charged at the hybrid again. But Alex was ready this time. With his own charge, Alex rammed into Leo and they both tumbled to the floor again, Leo's flailing limbs knocking the contents of the kitchen counters off and onto the floor with them.

Rather then ensuing into another event of their twisted bodies rolling across the ground, Alex managed to pin down Leo's arms and legs.

"Okay," Alex shouted, "you are going to calm down Leo! I don't know what the hell is wrong with you, but this is going to stop!"

"Fuck you!" was Leo's response as he struggled against the hybrid's grip.

Finally freeing an arm, Leo reached out to try and find something to help him. His fingers found the coffee pot to the machine he had knocked over. Grasping it, Leo swung it out and struck the glass container against the side of Alex's head. It shattered and knocked the crossbreed off of him. Taking the chance, Leo got up and started kicking the downed hybrid as he clutched at his bleeding head.

But it didn't last long as Leo's leg was caught in mid swing and yanked upward. Falling back to the ground, there was nothing stopping Alex as he stood back up, blood still dripping down the side where Leo had struck him. But this time the hybrid wasn't trying to reason with the cat. Rather, he grabbed hold of Leo's shirt and hoisted upward.

There was a familiar feeling creeping into Leo as he felt all of his weight leaving the ground. Alex growled angrily as he made a 180 degree turn, using the momentum to throw the helpless cat.

Leo landed back in the living room, his body crashed atop the coffee table and the innocent piece of furniture was turned into a pile of broken wood. As he lay there groaning in pain, Alex moved closer to him. But the fight wasn't out of him just yet, as the hybrid got close enough, Leo kicked out and made contact with Alex's shin.

Alex stumbled and fell to his knees, giving Leo time to recover and stand up. But unlike Leo, Alex was much more experienced and saw an opening. As Leo was up and preparing another attack, the hybrid threw a punch and nailed him directly between the legs. The pain caused Leo's legs to buckle and brought him just low enough for Alex to deliver another punch, aiming for the cat's lungs.

The blow sent Leo off of his feet and back onto his back. But he didn't get up this time. He gasped for breath as the wind was knocked out of him, just as the fight was.

Trying to control his heavy breathing, Alex sat up and leaned against the nearby couch while he clutched at the side of his head.

"Okay," the hybrid shouted, though he was still upset, the tone sounded off in his exhausted state. "What. The. Hell! What's up man? What's with the crazy all of a sudden?"

Leo didn't answer right away, still trying to catch his breath while feeling pain in both his back and crotch.

"You-you broke the table under me!" the cat finally retorted.

"You attacked me!" Alex shot back.

"You hit me right in the balls!"

"You hit me with a _fucking_ coffee pot! Now answer me! What the hell is wrong with you?"

"Y-you are trying to steal Kerissa from me!" Alex nearly choked on his own breathing as a heavy sense of shock struck him.

"What! Where on earth did you get that idea? I barely know her, not to mention she barely knows I exist outside the fact I'm crossbred!"

"I see you two," Leo shouted accusingly, "how you go off and be all nice. How you make her laugh and flirt with her all the time!" The hybrid let out a raspy groan, filled with both pain and anger. He would probably be strangling the mangy feline if he were able.

"God, I was just making her feel welcome. Since Aeris seems so pissy around her, I figured I needed to make up for it and help make sure she didn't feel despised whenever she came over." Despite the explanation, Leo remained unconvinced.

"She's always wanting to talk about you, wanting _me_ to talk about you." The hybrid released another groan, coming off as annoyance this time.

"Kerissa just wants to know about her boyfriend's friends. It's obvious she would be curious, and I'm sure she's seen enough of Aeris from the day they spent together."

"Yeah but..."

"Listen Leo, I would never be such a bastard as to try and take someone's girl. I'm not that kind of person, and I most certainly don't have any sort of attraction to her."

There was a brief silence as Leo took in what he had heard. But that silence ended as the gray cat sighed.

"I guess I may have overreacted."

"Understatement of the century Leo," Alex growled as he stumbled up onto his feet. With a hand still on his face, he removed it to feel the moist texture of his blood on his fingers. "Good gracious though, we really did a number on each other." He looked out to the mess they had made around them. "And to the apartment... We really need to get this cleaned up before Aeris sees this. I'd rather not provoke her into kicking my ass."

"Where is she?" Leo asked, not even thinking about what would have happened if his pink friend was there during their little bout.

"Called off by Pantsman for something, can't really remember now. But I'm sure she won't be away forever." The hybrid stumbled off toward the bathroom. "I'm gonna clean myself up, then we need to fix this place."

Alex entered the bathroom and looked himself over in the mirror. The right side of his head still held a crimson shine, reaching down into some of the white on his cheeks. It was quickly wiped away and small pieces of broken glass was brushed out of his hair. The blood had already stopped flowing and Alex was glad no shards had lodged into his skull. But the current damage wasn't too bad, it wasn't even noticeable with his fur covering the small cuts.

The hybrid was somewhat surprised at how Leo had managed so well though, despite his obvious lack of fighting prowess, he had done surprisingly well. The bruising pain in his chest from Leo's kicks was a testament to it.

It was strange, but Alex was at least glad Leo was okay. The gray cat had been lucky he was a friend, or else his current condition would have been much worse. But what nagged at the hybrid was the moment he had thrown the poor feline. He hadn't meant to, just trying to disable him long enough to calm him down. But his frustration took hold and no longer looked at Leo as a friend anymore, just another opponent to be beaten.

Putting the thought out of his mind, Alex finished cleaning himself up and returned to the living room where Leo was still lying on the broken remains of the coffee table.

"Come on," Alex said, grabbing his hand and trying to lifting him to his feet.

"My everything hurts," Leo complained.

"Yeah well, you're everything will feel much worse if Aeris sees this."

The thought of her own reaction seemed to hit home with the feline, he quickly got into gear and the two cleaned the apartment of all signs of their earlier struggle.

Their hearts nearly stopped as the sound of Aeris coming into the apartment took over their senses.

"I'm back," Aeris said as she entered. Her first sight was Alex and Leo looking at each other nervously. "What's up?"

"Uh, nothing. Nothing at all."

Rolling her eyes, Aeris ignored them both and relaxed herself. But her senses were alerted to something different about the apartment.

"Guys," she said, her tone going from her usual to a much more angered one, "where the hell is the coffee table?"

* * *

><p>Alex counted themselves lucky, Aeris took the news of the broken table rather well. Though she about knocked their blocks off at first, he was quick to explain his plan to replace it.<p>

Though it didn't stop her from giving Leo the most heart stopping, blood freezing, gut wrenching glare ever, mostly because the hybrid put full blame on him.

But now Aeris was alone in the apartment. As Alex and Leo had set off to procure the replacement coffee table, funding for said furniture coming out of the hybrid's own pocket.

However the solitude quickly turned into a curse rather then a godsend. It was causing Aeris to think too much into something. Something involving the young fox-hybrid who now lived with them.

It was of his personal funds. While usually a topic she didn't concern herself with, now it was nagging at the back of her mind like a tick that just wouldn't let go. What caused her most confusion was the source.

Alex seemed to always have money, though it was explainable as he never seemed to buy much with it. But even then, he would have spent more then enough to deplete any sort of savings he would have. Working in a store that sold video games wouldn't give much in terms of income, even if you didn't spend frivolously and lived in a low rent apartment. Especially now that he no longer had a continuous income.

The prize money from the tournament where they had met was also a detail that had brought itself into a conclusion, but it was no way near large enough to make up for the lack of a job.

Again and again Aeris thought on it, and again and again her mind dwelled on where she had seen such funds coming from. It's location made itself known once again before Alex had left.

Though he had tried being subtle about it, Alex hadn't noticed Aeris watching him enter his room. Neither did he notice her as she watched him reach into the tattered backpack he kept in his closet, or the sweet American currency he retrieved from it.

Now he was gone. Now Aeris was alone.

Standing before his door, Aeris questioned whether or not she should be doing what she was planning. Was it right? Was it really a secret? Did Alex care? Did it even matter?

Aeris shook her head as she gripped the doorknob and opened the door.

Still the same emptiness she had gotten accustomed to. If anything, she would have to try and get him to splurge on some form of decoration.

The closet hadn't changed either, Alex's bland wardrobe hanging up with nothing else inside, except for a tattered backpack.

With her natural curiosity itching under her skin, Aeris dragged the backpack out of the closet. For a few moments, she just sat there and starred at it. Taking a deep breath, Aeris unzipped the side pocket she had seen Alex open and reached inside.

She found what she was expecting. Pulling out the contents, several wads of American dollars laid out onto the floor. It was a few hundred dollars, though Aeris couldn't say there was anything particularly out of the ordinary about the sum. It could easily be that Alex didn't like banks, prefering to take the risk with keeping his money with himself.

But her snooping wasn't finished yet. It was but a small pocket, insignificant compared to the backpack itself. From the weight of it, there had to be something inside.

Not taking anytime to pause, Aeris unzipped the largest opening in the bag. Reaching inside, she could feel something smooth, something made of metal. Grabbing onto it, she pulled the item in question out/

It was a metal briefcase. The question as to why he had it quickly popped up, seeing the unnecessary act of putting an item used to keep things within another item used to keep things as strange. But that question was about to be answered as Aeris flipped open the two clasps that kept the case shut.

The anticipation and suspense as she lifted the lid up was causing the pink cat to hold her breath. It made it all the more difficult for her as she gasped at what she saw.

The briefcase thudded onto the floor, Aeris had jumped a decent foot away from it the moment she did, her hand pressed against her mouth as her involuntary gasp spilled out. Her trembling eyes were locked onto the briefcase, or it's contents. All she could see was the color green as she looked at the stacks and stacks of cash that were inside.

It was like something out of a movie. There it was, a briefcase full of money. Just like in the movies too, it was set up just the same. The bills were stacked up like small, green bricks, each held together with a small paper strap around the center. Each stack was neatly put into the briefcase, one on top of the other until they filled it up. But the entirety of the case wasn't filled, a small portion of it showed missing pieces, like that of a puzzle. Aeris could guess as to what happened to them.

All the pink cat could do was stare at it. It had to of been the largest amount of cash she had ever seen in one sitting. It wasn't as though she was overwhelmed with a heavy sense of greed to seeing such a wealth. All Aeris could feel was an emptied state, brought on by a collision of both conflicted feelings and confusion.

The most obvious were the questions that needed to be asked. What was Alex doing with this kind of money? How did he obtain it?

Aeris could remember Alex reassuring her when he had lost his job. How he didn't need to worry about money because of what he called his 'inheritance'. But could this really be it? Alex had said his family was very wealthy. But he had also said his father was cut off from such funds. Maybe he had a large sum stored away for just such an event? Maybe it was his parents' money, savings accumulated over the years and now in the hands of the only surviving member of the family.

It was the only explanation Aeris could come up with. But there was still no shaking the hanging feeling that something wasn't right about it.

That feeling was halted though. Aeris felt her heart skip a beat as she heard the apartment's front door shutting.

Her heart now racing, Aeris shut the briefcase and jammed it into the backpack. After tossing it into the closet, she made for the door. Just as she exited Alex's room, Aeris came face to face with the visitor.

"Ah!," she yelped in surprise, jumping back and slamming against the bedroom door she had just shut. But her startled nature shifted to fury as her gaze fell upon Leo. "God dammit Leo! You almost gave me a heart attack!"

"I-I'm sorry," Leo apologized, holding his hands up to protect himself. "Uh... what where you doing in Alex's room?"

"None of your damn business," Aeris snapped. "What are you even doing here?"

"Oh," Leo muttered, having just remembered the reason, "we need your help with the coffee table."

"Where's Alex?"

"Downstairs. The coffee table won't fit in the elevator and we need help getting it up the stairs."

"Fine" Aeris answered with an agitated huff. She followed Leo out of the apartment, the dreaded feeling over what she had just seen earlier being pushed out of her mind.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hybrids trying to steal his girlfriend is enough to make Leo angry. So angry that you might call it rage. Rage that is specifically located in the northernmost country in North America. Also known as Canada! … (sigh)**

**So, Leo's gotten a bit ballsy lately. Well, it certainly is a good idea to pick a fight with a friend who has already established a history of getting into fights... Heh.**

**Ah well, he was just experiencing jealous paranoia for the first time. We've all been there, amiright fellas? (hearty man laugh) Anyways... that stuff happened. Not to mention we've just now found out about the First National Bank of Kage. Gee I wonder what will happen next...**


	23. I Don't Like Wheels

**Chapter 23: I Don't Like Wheels**

"So how do I look?" Leo asked, standing before his friends as they sat on the couch.

"Same as usual," Alex replied, seeing the same old blue shirt and pants he wore. Aeris didn't answer, refusing to remove her face from the book she was reading.

"Perfect!" Leo was excited for the upcoming date he had with Kerissa.

"Where are you guys going anyway?" The date was somewhat surprising as he had only ever seen them go out midday, but now the hour was growing late and the sky outside was beginning to lose it's light.

"To that carnival that they have open for today."

"Ah," Alex muttered. The hybrid had heard of the event he was talking about.

It was a big event the city was having. Supposedly having games, prizes, and at the very end there would be a big auction. The auction itself was the main event, everything else just seemed to be a way to milk more cash from people and net them in for the finale. From what he gathered, the whole escapade was to raise money for some form of charity, Alex didn't care enough to find out which.

The whole thing wasn't very high on the interest meter when it came to them however. Neither Aeris or Alex cared for it. Now Leo only seemed to care because he was going with Kerissa.

There was a knock at the door. Leo jumped to it in almost a single leap. He opened it and was greeted by Kerissa.

To Alex's surprise, he noticed a less revealing choice of clothing on her part, most likely for the colder night air that was sure to surround them.

"Hi Alex, hi Aeris," the husky greeted. Alex answered with a small wave of his hand while Aeris kept her gaze on her book, not even acknowledging her. "So, are you two going to the carnival too?"

"Nah," Alex muttered, not finding any reason to.

"Aw. Why not? You two should go, it'll be fun."

"Went to one once back home. Didn't have much, just some rigged games, a few food carts and a bad stage magician. Wasn't very fun."

"Hmm," Keriss murmured, not giving up so easily. "What about you Aeris?" The pink cat lowered her book just low enough to look at the eager dog.

"No," she said sourly. Kerissa huffed to herself and turned back to Leo, missing on the cold glare Aeris shot at her.

"Well... you two have fun here I guess... Shall we go Leo?"

The gray cat nodded and with a short wave goodbye they left the apartment to enjoy each others company.

"Like two parents," Alex muttered with a chuckle, looking toward Aeris, "seeing the son off to his first date, eh? Heh..."

Aeris didn't answer, now giving Alex the cold shoulder.

"So uh... I don't think I've heard any opinion about her from you yet..." Aeris wasn't the only one who could become curious about things. Right now, the hybrid's mind was working on exactly what was wrong with the pink feline.

"I don't really care about the subject," she answered, hardly acknowledging the hybrid. Alex sighed to the floor, beating around the bush was never his strong suit.

"Alright," he said, "I can tell that something isn't right with you. Ever since Kerissa showed up you've had such an attitude around her. While I'm not saying you need to like her, you shouldn't despise her." Growling angrily to herself, Aeris slammed the book she had down hard on the new coffee table.

"I said I don't care!" she snapped, glaring daggers at Alex. "Why should I care if Leo wants to gallivant around with some whore dressing husky bitch!" The sudden outburst left Alex momentarily speechless, all he could was blankly stare at her for a time.

"Okay..." he finally said, keeping his tone steady. "While yes, bitch is technically the term for a female dog, which Kerissa happens to be, its use is purely derogatory in this day and age and only furthers my idea that something is wrong."

"What would be wrong?" Aeris asked, her own tone still showed she was about to start spewing fire at any moment. "Everything's just _perfect_! Leo's out on his own now, having a _great_ time with his girlfriend! Hell, based on how much we've seen him, he clearly doesn't need us anymore! He doesn't need you, and he most certainly doesn't need... me..." Her head tilted forward and she stared at the floor. It was small but unmistakable, a sadness hidden away within the anger of her eyes.

Alex just looked at her. His gaze was no longer a quizzical one, he was no longer curious. The realization softened his mood then and there, coming to him just as Aeris made her outbursts, because now he understood.

"Aeris..." he said, having trouble forming the right words to use on her as he voiced his discovery. "This isn't about Kerissa is it? It's not about some petty jealousy or simple biological hatred between species. It's not even about you. It's about Leo... You think you're losing him. You think you're losing your best friend."

Aeris didn't answer him, she made no response at all. But how she looked, she might as well have been crying out the word 'yes'.

"Look," Alex started, moving himself closer to her on the couch, as if shortening the gap between them could offer some sort of comfort. "Leo is going through a lot of things right now. He is experiencing so many new things for the first time. Of course things will change because of that. But you are still his greatest friend. No simple romance with anyone that occurs between either of you will ever sully that." Alex gained a small smile and chuckled lightly. "You want to know something? At one point, Leo actually thought that you and I had developed our own romantic relationship."

Aeris' drooping ears perked up and she turned to face Alex.

"Leo... thought that?"

"Ludicrous, I know. But, what I saw that day was Leo's attitude when he thought so. He was fine with it. He was fine with you, the greatest friend he has ever had, to be with someone. Leo never saw it as a problem to see you with another man. He only saw it as you finding your own happiness that he couldn't bring to you himself. That was all he wanted for you. And if he thought you were happy, then he was too."

Aeris just stared at the hybrid. Dumbstruck as she heard a side of Leo she never imagined.

"Now, the tables are turned. Leo has found his own little source of happiness. And now, there is only one question to ask. Are _you_ okay with that?"

The pink cat stared at him for a moment. But, as she looked at him, her mouth curled into a smile.

"Yeah... yeah I think I'm okay with it."

"Fantastic." Alex then stood up from the couch and faced her. "Well, now that we have this little slice of life figured out. Lets go enjoy the rest of the night."

"Like how?"

"As far as I see it, you don't have any up coming plans. I for one already know I have nothing to do. And from what I've seen, there just so happens to be a carnival downtown filled with all kinds excitement." He held his hand out to her. "So, how about we go and have a little fun."

At his request Aeris, still smiling, took his hand.

* * *

><p>Alex could almost swear that it was the same carnival that had visited his own city as a kid.<p>

It was set up in the city's biggest park. Booths dotted all around the grassy landscape. They varied only slightly, some selling traditional carny foods like cotton candy and soft pretzels, a few were games meant to entice the competitive side in people with some cheap prize as incentive, the others were simply stores that sold nearly worthless junk that only seemed to be acquirable in such events.

With the term carnival, there was an expectation of some sort of performance, akin to that of a circus that was composed almost entirely of performers. Sadly however, the only thing they had was a small stage that had only two people working it. A magician and a comic who would switch places every so often to give the illusion of being fresh.

The largest attraction was the only actual ride, a massive ferris wheel that towered over everything else, making the trees look like toothpicks in comparison. There was also the auction that they were still setting up, however it was being saved for much later.

Despite all the possibilities for a good time, Aeris still felt strongly about her previous dislike to the event. Carnivals simply weren't her cup of tea. But as she walked through the crowds of people, Alex by her side as they looked for their first stop, she had to admit that the company helped.

The pink cat also noticed her companion's bare arms and swishing tail, out in the open as Alex neglected his coat once again. She wasn't sure if it was intentional or not, but either way, she couldn't help but smile at it.

Their first stop was at the pretzel stand, the rumbling in their stomachs drawing them toward the heavenly scent of the twisted pieces of bread and the hot cheese used as a dip for the salty snack. Since they had both been too lazy to want to cook anything, the pretzels would at least stave off hunger.

After their purchase, they found a place to sit and enjoy their junk food. The seats before the stage were ideal as they watched the comedian do his act.

All in all, the comic was mildly funny. Sadly, he fell prey to the folly of being a 'kid friendly' comedian. The jokes were somewhat clever but fell flat in terms of a gut buster to the older audience.

After several minutes of jokes, the comedian bowed before exiting the stage, quickly being replaced by the magician. Aeris didn't consider herself a fan of magic acts but she couldn't say she hated them. Alex on the other hand showed a different view to it. The hybrid sat through the show with an intent gaze on the magician, muttering an explanation to the trick he would preform. It earned him a few glares from the nearby spectators who were trying to enjoy it for themselves.

"Must you do that?" Aeris asked, an air of annoyance about her.

"Not really," Alex answered with a shrug. "When he finally stumps me, then I'll be quiet." But he never was. After the show ended, there was a brief pause for the comedian to warm himself up, leaving the stage empty and for newcomers to find a spot to enjoy the show. "Well that was... entertaining."

"Magic is more of a kids' treat I guess," Aeris said. She didn't find much entertainment from it herself, though she wasn't entirely sure if it was due to the magician or Alex's incessant need to spoil the trick. But the topic was quickly thrown from her mind as she looked at the hybrid and laughed. "Y-you have a little something on your lip." It was a stain of yellow cheese that had come off of his pretzel, easily distinguished within the white of his muzzle.

"Oh," Alex muttered. Then, he unintentionally made the goofiest of faces as his eyes crossed and his tong flopped around in an attempt to find the stray topping. Aeris giggled at the display before finally holding up her napkin.

"Here, I got it," she said as she wiped the hybrid's face for him.

"Heh, thanks," he chuckled.

They both had a laugh over it as they explored more of the carnival. Eventually they found a small group of people crowded around what looked like a dunk tank.

A pool of water spread out underneath a small platform. There was a man sitting on said stage with his feet dangling a good three feet above the waters surface. Set up next to the platform was a small bulls-eye sign with a mechanism attaching them both together. On the ground in front of the pool of water was a white line made in the grass to set the correct distance for participants as well as a rack that held baseballs. It was the traditional idea of hitting the target to drop the platform and plummeting the man into the water.

There was already someone attempting to hit the target, the man heckling him as he aimed and threw. Sadly, given the distance between the throwing point and the target, there was plenty of room for error. The ball missed and the man laughed as someone else came to try their stuff.

As they watched, the two friends noticed a familiar color in the crowed. Two fellow spectators whose fur colors were a black and white, standing alongside a gray and white.

"Leo? Kerissa?" Alex was surprised to see them already.

The two beamed as they took notice to their friends and moved through the crowd to them. As they came closer, both Aeris and Alex could see the stuffed animal Kerissa had her arms wrapped around, a prize Leo must have won from one of the games. Alex couldn't help but smirk at it.

"Wow," Leo said as he looked between them both, "I didn't expect to see you two here."

"Yeah well, the mood just came to us," Alex answered, aiming a smile toward Aeris.

"Having your own little romantic excursion hmm?" Kerissa asked suggestively.

"No no," Aeris said with an amused laugh toward the husky's quick idea, "just a friendly way to spend time." Leo was stunned in a moment of shock to see her address Kerissa without a glare or venomous remark, his eyes moved to Alex who displayed a look of pride in to the situation.

"So," the hybrid said, turning his gaze toward the dunk tank, the displayed man still as dry as a bone, "going to try your throwing arm Leo?"

"I don't know," he answered uneasily, "I'll probably just get laughed at..."

"Meh, wouldn't be anything new would it?"

They moved to the rack of baseballs and Alex grabbed one for himself. However, it put them in the sights of the dunking man.

"Hey," the man from the platform shouted to them, "I see you there crossy-boy." Alex, looked behind him and to his sides, making sure the man was addressing himself. As if it could be anyone else. "Yeah you, whatcha supposed to be anyway? Some sorta fox-zebra or somthin'"

Alex realized that it was probably part of his job to jeer at the throwers to add to their want to knock him in, but it didn't stop him from glaring out toward the man. Assuming a pitcher's stance, Alex aimed, bent his arm back, and threw. It missed, coming close but still missing. The man laughed hysterically at the attempt and shot another insult. Sneering at the man, Alex got another ball, aimed, bent his arm back, and threw. Again it missed, off by even more then the last time.

"Hahaha, nice throw nancy-boy," the man shouted.

"I _hate_ that guy," Alex said, pointing a fierce finger at him as Aeris pushed the hybrid back to give Leo a turn.

"Oh looky here," the man said with a laugh as Leo approached the line. "What, your boyfriend couldn't do it so you think you can kitty cat?" Leo tried ignoring the man as he grabbed a ball, bent his arm back and threw.

It missed, not even coming close to making the mark. The man burst into another fit of laughter as Leo gained his own angered expression.

"Come on kitty kitty," the man jeered again, "I've got a nice mousy for you if you get me."

Leo grabbed another ball, keeping his eyes locked onto the bulls-eye. He wasn't about to let some guy embarrass him in front of his girlfriend. Leo gripped the ball tightly, aimed, bent his arm back and threw.

"Argh," the man yelled as the baseball crack him right in the face. Leo's throw had been so off, rather then hit the intended target, it veered off course and got the man in the center of the nose.

As the man clutched his now bleeding nose and grunted in pain, his body tilted forward and he slipped off of the platform and into the pool of water. The water rippled for several seconds before going still, everyone was silent as no other movement came from it.

Luckily, there was an on hand paramedic who was able to get the man out of the pool and patch him up. The rescue went unnoticed by Leo however, who had grabbed Kerissa and walked off as nonchalantly as he could.

Alex and Aeris went off in their own direction as well. After a minute of walking around, one booth caught the pink cat's eye and she pulled the hybrid toward it, nearly yanking his arm off in the process.

"Let's try this," she said, looking at the game the booth was showcasing.

It looked like a standard target shooting game. Eight bulls-eye targets hung at the back of the booth, there was a noticeable hole in the very center of each, with another metal plate just behind it. Pistols for the targets were on the counter. Hanging on the sides and roof of the booth were stuffed animals of different sizes, obviously the prizes for the game.

"So what exactly are we doing?" Aeris asked the man running the booth. He had a distinguishable surly attitude about him, but he didn't ignore money when he saw it.

"Eight targets," he said, pointing to each one. "You need to hit the very center of each. You'll use this," he pointed at a gun before him, "they shoot these pellets." The man then showed them a small metal ball, it was a little over twice the size of a BB. "You have eight tries to hit each target, if you hit six, you get a small prize. If you hit seven, medium prize. And if your lucky and get all eight, you get a large prize."

"Okay, I'll try it," Aeris said, paying him the required amount for an attempt.

"Really?" Alex asked skeptically, he couldn't see the pink cat with any kind of marksman ability.

"Yeah, I'm pretty good at Duck Hunt." Alex chuckled to himself as he rolled his eyes and muttered something under his breath that Aeris didn't catch.

She picked up the pistol. In appearance, it looked to be a typical glock model. Though a few obvious differences in weight and appearance of the material used to make it existed. The barrel of it was also much smaller, due to the size of the shots being used for it.

Aeris eyed the first target, keeping her gaze right in the very center. Aiming it, the feline squeezed her finger on the trigger and the gun fired. There was a subtle sound of metal against metal and Aeris' eyes widened as she saw the pellet hit the target off to the right of the target, missing the center. She huffed to herself in annoyance, certain she was right on the mark.

Again, Aeris aimed, taking much longer this time to make sure she was perfect. And once again it struck away from the center to the right.

"Dammit," she growled, "I know I can do this." Again for six more tries she fired the pistol, and for those six times she kept missing, never hitting the center. Aeris' temper was starting to get to her, it didn't help as she noticed the hybrid next to her trying to stifle a laugh. "Oh? You think you can do better?"

"Oh," Alex muttered, looking uneasy, "uh... no no, I'm certain I'd be just as bad. Er, I mean... not in comparison to you or anything... heh-heh."

"Oh no no, you aren't ducking out of this." Aeris slammed the gun onto the counter and stepped aside for the hybrid. "Come on hotshot. Let's see how badly you can mess up."

Alex let out a sigh as he approached the booth, seeing no way out of it. He payed the man for his own turn. Then, Aeris watched as the hybrid moved to retrieve the pistol. But he didn't pick it up, not right away. There was a long moment of hesitation, Alex's hand simply hovering over the gun. It wasn't until a big, deep breath did he grab the pistol and hold it up.

With a steady hand, Alex aimed at the target, and after only a moment of preparing his shot, fired.

Once again, the shot missed. The pellet hit the target just off to the right of the center. Alex looked from the target to the gun in his hand several times, a mild look of surprise on his face. He paused and examined the pistol for a moment before assuming the same position he had earlier. Aiming perfectly at the target. But this time however, Alex shifted his aim ever so slightly to the left, then fired.

A new sound come out, a higher pitch dinging sound as the pellet went through the very center of the target and hit the metal plate behind it.

Without missing a step, Alex switched over to the next target and fired. It hit its mark right and made the same sound. In a fluid motion, Alex moved to the other targets, not even needing to pause in order to aim right. Each shot hit the target perfectly.

Both Aeris and the booth man stared at him as Alex set the gun down.

"I think that's seven targets hit, one miss," the hybrid said, turning to the man who still looked dumbfounded. "Oh, and the aim in your gun is off, it's a little too far to the right. I'd suggest getting it fixed, wouldn't want anyone getting the wrong idea and accuse you of trying to cheat them."

The man inside the booth lost his previous look and gained one of pure hatred as his brow furrowed into a glare. Alex merely smirked as he plucked his prize off of the wall of the booth and walked off, Aeris following.

"Wow," Aeris said, "where did you learn that?"

"I've had a... a lot of practice," Alex replied, looking down at the stuffed animal in his hands. "Here." He handed it to Aeris.

She looked at it the fuzzy toy. It was a cat, set in a sitting position with a large set of whiskers on its face. The most noticeable trait about it was the gray fur it had. The comparison of it to a certain someone wasn't lost on the pink cat, who noticed Alex looking at her with a grin. Aeris responded with a punch to his shoulder.

* * *

><p>Aeris gave the man at the food stall his payment as he handed her a small soda. She eagerly drank the liquid to quench her now parched throat.<p>

They had been at the carnival for some time now, going around to different booths to try their skill. Though they didn't have as much luck as they did with the shooting one. Aeris stared at the toy cat in her hands as she drank her soda, it's stuffed face looking back at her with a smile.

Alone at the moment, she had lost track of Alex when she went to buy her drink. They hadn't even seen Leo or Kerissa since the dunk tank, having no idea where they had run off to. Aeris figured they probably had enough of the place and went off home. Though it still left the hybrid unaccounted for.

Aeris traversed through the shrinking crowds of people. The amount of occupants the park had had dropped since they had first arrived. It was getting late and the sun was nearly fully set, not much longer and everything would be dark. The stragglers here now were mostly likely waiting for the auction.

Still Aeris looked around for the distinguishable sign of red fur. Her target was found as she saw Alex a short distance away from her current position. The hybrid was beside the ferris wheel, having a conversation with its operator. The man running the machine was shaking his head at him, but after several words from Alex, the man paused for a moment before nodding his head. Aeris approached the hybrid as she watched him give the operator a look of gratitude.

"Trying to hitch a ride Alex?" Aeris asked when she was within earshot. The hybrid jumped at hearing her voice and seeing her coming.

"Oh Aeris... uh, no no I was just-"

"Come on, lets give it a go," Aeris interrupted him, grabbing his arm and pulling him toward the empty seat on the ride.

"Uh, I really don't think that it's a-" Alex was cut off again as Aeris gave his arm a sharp yank, pulling him into the seat and forcing him to sit down.

The last of the seats were then filled and the operator started it up. The loud whirring of the machine filled the air before the massive wheel began turning. Turning clockwise, the backs of the seats lifted upward into the air and circled downward.

Aeris noticed the hybrid next to her looking nervous about something as they continued to rise and dip in a continuous fashion.

"Scared?" she asked, remembering Alex's aerophobia.

"Heh, not at all," he replied, flashing her a smile before gaining his uneasy look again. "Unless of course this thing sprouts wings and takes off."

The ferris wheel continued to spin around and around, sending them high up into the air before going back down to repeat the process. But as they came upward again, there was a loud creaking noise and the machine stopped in it's tracks.

Aeris' stomach lurched forward at the sudden stop. Their own seat was stuck past the halfway mark of the very back of the machine, suspending them high up, but still not at the top.

"What's going on?" Aeris asked rhetorically. She peered over the side to see what could have caused it, but there was no sign of a commotion or anything wrong down below.

"Must be some kind of power outage or something," Alex said, sounding more nervous then ever. Aeris gave him an unconvinced look, thinking there was something he wasn't telling her.

There was a subtle shift in the hybrid's gaze, his eyes moving upward slightly before quickly being moved to a forward view. Following the sight, Aeris looked up to where his eyes were pointing to. She could see the topmost seat from their position, as well as catching a glimpse at the two occupants. Aeris became slack jawed as she saw a mix of black white and gray.

It was Leo and Kerissa, high up in the tallest seat the wheel had. But they weren't sitting idle, twiddling their thumbs as they wait for the ride to start up again. They were kissing. Not just a simple peck like they would usually preform, but a full blown make-out session.

Their lips were together as the feline and husky had their arms wrapped around each other. The outside world seemed gone as sat on their perch and enjoyed each other to the fullest.

Aeris just gaped at what she saw, seeing their enjoyment in what they were doing. Then, she looked at Alex as she remembered his conversation with the ride's operator.

"Alex... did you..."

The hybrid gave an uneasy smile at her question, chuckling to himself at her expression.

"Heh-heh well, I saw Leo could use a little push. So I figured I could play Cupid just this once and try to help him out."

"Well," Aeris muttered as she looked back up at her friend as his girlfriend, "it seems to have worked."

"Never underestimate the power of a cheesy romance cliche."

After another minute passed, the ride started up again. They rose up high into the air and dipped down once again, going back up for one last turn.

But suddenly, as their seat reached the height of the ride, there was a sudden lurch and the machine stopped running again.

"Not this again," Aeris groaned, looking back down again to make sure there really wasn't something wrong with the ride this time. There was nothing. Her eyes formed a glare as she looked at the hybrid next to her. "Did you plan this too?"

"What?" Alex nearly blurted out in surprise. "No no, this isn't my doing. That damn operator must think I'd want my own little stop after seeing you yank me into the ride. I didn't even plan on being apart of it in the first place."

"Oh," Aeris muttered, using the elevated height to see the surrounding area.

It was certainly a beautiful display. Seeing the tops of the trees sway in the passing winds. The sounds of the people far below them, slightly muffled due to their distance apart. But the most wondrous sight was in front of them.

Aeris looked out to see the edge of the sky before her. The sun was almost fully set, the last glimpses of the fiery yellow and orange appearing over the horizon, followed with the dark blue and deepening black of the coming night sky.

"It's beautiful," Aeris said, her eyes transfixed on the sight. It was clear how such a sight could spark the romantic feelings inside of someone. The pink cat could imagine what Kerissa was feeling as she sat next to the person she had such emotion for, turning to face him in the beauty around them. Their gazes would catch one another and they would lean forward, coming ever so closer until their lips would finally-

"Aeris, what are you doing?"

Aeris blinked. The pink cat hadn't realized her own daydreaming. She was still sitting there next to Alex, but she had moved herself closer toward him, leaning her head forward in his direction.

The hybrid stared at her in confusion, not understanding what was going on.

"Oh," Aeris said, trying to hide her embarrassment. "I was just... I thought you still had something on your face. But nope, clean as a whistle..."

"Oh, uh.. okay," Alex said, buying the poor excuse.

They sat in silence for the rest of the time. Both of them enjoying the view as they waited for the ride to start up again. They didn't need to wait long however as the machine soon regained its lost power once again and began stopping at each seat to let the riders off.

After they got off themselves, Aeris and Alex looked around for their gray friend and his husky companion. There was no sign of them however. But they lost interest in finding them quickly, both of them were fine with their current company as they walked through the carnival one last time.

All that was left for them was the auction that would soon start up. But neither of them cared for it, not finding any excitement in fighting over useless junk they didn't need, only to overpay for it.

So the two friends left the park, heading home to finish out their day. They decided not to look for Leo or Kerissa, figuring that the two would want as much alone time as possible, neither of them could complain though.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: They're big and irritating, and they spin everywhere... (Where are you George Lucas!)**

**Wait... What is this? And new chapter? Already? What sorcery is this! **

**Well, I could explain. But it would require a lot of time and I have so very little of it. Basically, I may have kinda sorta sold my soul to Satan... Yeah, sacrifices were in order and I figured what better way to lose your soul.**

**I think that makes me the new Spawn too... or Ghostrider, whichever you prefer... **

**Uh, well anyway... back to the chapter... Just another long winded chapter that brings in a little of this and that.**

**Sadly, since it was for charity, the carnival couldn't afford a glass wall for the dunk tank... hence why they now have an injured man on their hands... It kind of makes it not a tank when you think about it... **

**Also, you may think to yourself that Leo and Kerissa didn't have as much spotlight as they could have... Well it was sort of intentional, seeing them in a different perspective then just following them around and yadda yadda. Even with the ferris wheel, it was more to show Aeris' perspective and reaction, then her** **eventual reenactment that leads to an awkward situation... **

**Oh yes, and Aeris being on a ferris wheel. You could call it an... Aeris Wheel! (rimshot) **


	24. Fighting, With Controllers

**Chapter 24: Fighting, With Controllers**

"It was still hacked!"

"It was fixed! Is that your only argument?"

Leo sighed silently to himself, his head resting in his hands as he sat on the couch, watching Aeris and Alex go at it. They had been arguing for quite some time and the gray feline couldn't see any indication of it ending soon. He wasn't even sure what started it in the first place anymore.

"Just face it," Aeris shouted, "the 360 is the obvious choice for any skilled gamer out there." Alex retorted with a chuckle.

"Really? You're calling yourself a 'skilled' gamer now?"

"Naturally. What, do you think you could actually hold a candle against me?"

"Ha! That is rich! I believe I already have Miss 'Pink Fury'. Or did you already forget that tournament I won in which we first met?"

"Oh yes, who could forget that tournament. Like you showed any sort of skill whatsoever, hiding away in some tower." Alex smirked as he crossed his arms.

"Trounced your ass." Aeris' fiery glare turned into an inferno as she growled viciously at the hybrid.

"The only reason you beat me was because of Leo! I would have blasted your head off if it wasn't for him messing up my shot!"

"A loss is a loss Aeris. And don't blame Leo for your own incompetence. Just accept that I'm better then you."

"You are _not_ a better gamer then me!"

"Couldn't I be the best?" Leo asked, seeing himself left out in the debate of who had the greatest skill.

"No!" Aeris and Alex shouted in unison, causing Leo to shrink back into the couch as his roommates continued to lock their determined stares together.

"I think there's only one way to settle this," Alex said, the gears in his head turning.

"Oh?" Aeris pondered, seeing the look in the hybrid's eyes.

"Our own little tournament. We play ten games to challenge one another, we each pick five games to play. The first to six victories wins."

Aeris thought on the proposal, it seemed like a plausible idea, but one thing wasn't touched upon yet.

"What are the stakes?" she asked.

"Hm," Alex muttered as he scratched his muzzle. "Well, the winner would be the undisputed grand champion of the apartment... But if you want to make it more interesting then, uh..."

"I know," Aeris concluded, showing her trademarked devious look. "The loser becomes the winner's slave for three weeks. The slave will have to do anything, and I do mean _anything_, that the winner says."

"Slavery huh..."

"Gonna back down?" Aeris asked mockingly, holding out her hand to strike the agreement.

"Not on your life," Alex retorted, grabbing her hand and shaking.

* * *

><p>So their tournament began. Aeris and Alex each picked out a selection of games from their own stashes, purposely selecting the ones they were best at for the added advantage.<p>

Aeris got to pick what they would start with. Her first game of choice was the popular FPS Halo 3. Though it wasn't the FPS she was best at, Aeris picked it for the obvious lack of experience her hybrid opponent would have, as well as being out of his element. Since her favorite shooter, Clone of Duty: Generic Warfare, was cross console.

They decided a single map with a ten minute timer, highest number of kills would mark the victor.

It was a good effort between both players. Alex showed his flexibility as he quickly adapted to the controls and map terrain. Sadly, Aeris' extensive knowledge of the map, and the game itself, allowed her for an easy win, utilizing every nook and cranny to take him down. Though she couldn't deny that he had decimated her many times after finding a good sniping spot, his plan was quickly dealt with and Aeris went through the rest of the match destroying the poor hybrid. Winning with sixty-eight kills to his twenty-nine.

Alex's choice came next. Rather then go Aeris' route, his first pick was to play Mario Kart on the Wii. Though it was a game he knew they were both familiar, Alex was saving his better choices for last.

Victory belonged to Alex this round, it was impossible for him to say it was an easy win though. They stayed neck and neck throughout the race, each gaining a small lead to the other before losing it. Just moments before the end though, the hybrid got a lucky blue shell and knocked Aeris out of the lead for the win.

Leo watched as they went at it. Though he was a simple spectator, and often times a refreshment boy as they called for a drink during their bout, the gray cat was excited as his friends showed their competitive natures.

Neither Aeris or Alex could gain the full advantage over the other in victories. Aeris would win a match and then lose to Alex on the next. Sometimes their own planned advantages couldn't help them, still losing to the other.

But the list of games dwindled quickly. It soon finished as Aeris won their final choice.

"Ha," she said as the game was over. "So what's the score? I think I already know the winner." Alex didn't answer though, not knowing himself as he was too busy playing to keep track.

"You're both five for five," Leo replied, having been keeping count as he watched. "I guess it's a tie."

"A tie?" Aeris groaned.

"Alright," Alex said, cracking the joints in his sore thumbs, "then we play one more game. The winner of this wins the bet."

"Fine, but which of us will decide what game we play?"

Alex only paused for a moment to figure it out. Pulling a coin from his pocket, he tossed it to Aeris.

"We'll flip for it. Heads I'll choose, tails you will."

Aeris nodded and flipped the coin into the air. They let it hit the floor before looking over it to see the side. Heads.

"Dammit," Aeris growled.

Alex chuckled as he went to their games and tried thinking of what one would be best. But as he looked through all of the ones he was best at, a thought came to mind that brought a smile to his face.

"Okay then," Alex said, grabbing two games from the collection and going back to his spot. "What better way to end this then playing a genre we both hate." He held up two fighting games they had, Aeris' eyes glaring at him for such a cruel choice. "I'll even let you have a say in the matter."

The two games he had picked out weren't ones Aeris was most familiar with, but they were fairly popular choices for people who enjoyed fighting games. Krossover Kombat or Mortal Misspelling. Tough choice as Aeris knew very little about both of them. But she decided on Krossover Kombat, she at least knew it had a cameo fighter from an anime she liked.

They started the game up. Immediately after the character selection screen popped on, Alex went for the random option, not caring what he got. Aeris however found the character she was looking for, a young, generic super powered teen who had a brooding attitude that could put Batman to shame.

The fight then started. Alex's character was an odd man who looked like a cross between Yoda and Ezio. Aeris' anime character had an expected sword for a weapon and long flowing hair that nearly touched the floor.

After the characters exchanged a cheesy taunt to the other, the fight finally began and Alex's character charged forward at Aeris. With quick reflexes, Aeris jumped just in time to avoid a punch and used the opportunity to deliver a swift kick.

Throughout the first match, Aeris could hear the clacking sounds of buttons being pressed rapidly, Alex apparently trying to figure out what special moves he could preform. After about fifty different button combinations, Alex's character grabbed onto Aeris', threw it up into the air and pierced their chest with glowing energy swords that came out of the wrists. The attack left Aeris with little health left, and just as her character stood up, Alex was ready for a single punch to completely deplete the rest of her health and win the first round.

"Oh that is bullshit!" Aeris shouted at the screen, furious at how a single move could take away so much health.

"Fighting games," Alex said with a laugh, "what are you gonna do?"

Aeris shot him a cold glare before the next round began. This time, Aeris' fury fueled her. Her fingers rapidly moved across the buttons at amazing speed, every blow landing on Alex's character with the hybrid unable to block or deliver his own attacks. The round ended quickly, Aeris not losing a single sliver of health.

"Like that's fair," Alex complained, being reminded why he hated fighting games.

"Just wait until the last round," Aeris said, her anger being replaced with confidence, "you're going down."

"We'll see."

The final round soon started, the tie breaker that would decide the winner of the game and the bet.

Both Aeris and Alex gave it all, each blocking and dodging the attacks of the other and attempting to throw a flurry of their own. But Aeris noticed a flaw in Alex's technique. Whenever they made a gap between one another, he would jump to clear it and follow with an attack in the air.

Making her plan, stepped as far away as the stage allowed her to. As expected, Alex charged and jumped to get to her, kicking his leg out to attack. But Aeris was ready, she preformed a quick dodge just as he came down, moving just underneath of him and causing his character to face his back to her.

Now with an opening, Aeris attacked the defenseless character and quickly depleted his health bar to zero. Their was a long silence as the game's announcer called for the end of the match and declared Aeris the winner.

"Ha," Aeris shouted, throwing her controller down and pointing at the hybrid, "in your face!" Alex stared at the screen in shock as Aeris began doing a simple dance in place as she boasted. "Oh yeah, oh yeah. Who's the winner? That's right, this girl. I shall now be know as the Aeris the Almighty, Grand Champion Gamer of the world and known universe. Much better then any silly hybrid."

Alex sighed for a moment and stood up, looking at Aeris with a smile.

"Well," he said, "it would uncivil for a sportsman to not acknowledge when they are bested by someone with greater skill then their own. So, congratulations." Aeris stopped her moment of joyous celebration. Her ecstatic boasting now gone, all she could do was glare frustratingly at the hybrid.

"You just know how to take the fun out of everything, don't you?" Her glare continued as Alex laughed at her.

"Well, you're a little too easy to figure out. Anyway, that was a very enjoyable challenge we gave each other."

"Yeah, I guess it was."

There was a sudden silence as a loud rumbling could be heard from Alex's stomach.

"Oh my... how about we commemorate your victory with me treating you to dinner? I'm apparently getting hungry and I know a wonderful restaurant a ways away that would be perfect to celebrate."

"I think that would be fine," Aeris said, feeling peckish herself.

"Alright then. How about you Leo? You're welcome to come too." The gray cat merely shook his head.

"Nah, I really don't like going near restaurants... or their bathrooms..."

"I thought you got over that?" Aeris asked, remembering a previous visit to an eatery that Leo was fine with.

"I had a relapse... I think I'll just sit back here, maybe get a hold of Kerissa and see what she's doing."

"Well take care then."

Alex and Aeris left the apartment, leaving Leo by himself.

The feline then turned on the TV and relaxed himself on the couch with a devious smirk. He wasn't as clueless as most people thought. Leo could at least tell the the change in Aeris' mood around him and Kerissa, and it was obvious that a certain crossbreed must have had his hand in it.

There was also what had happened at the carnival. Alex didn't know, but Leo had seen the hybrid talking to the operator down below. It didn't take him very long to put two and two together.

It really surprised him how much Alex had helped him. Even if it wasn't intentional, it was his own doing that brought them to the cafe where Kerissa was.

Even after Leo has doubted his intentions with his girlfriend, Alex showed no hard feelings. So now, the cat figured a little white lie wouldn't hurt to give his friends some alone time. As far as Leo was concerned, one good hook-up deserves another.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour passed and Leo was becoming bored with television. Figuring he could go through with his made-up plan, he decided to give Kerissa a call and talk to her.<p>

Grabbing the phone, Leo dialed the number for her cell. It rung several times before her sweet voice finally answered.

"Hello?"

"It's me," Leo said.

"Oh, hi sweetie," Kerissa responded, her voice sounding as though she was distracted by something.

"Well, Aeris and Alex went off somewhere. I was wondering if you wanted to do anything." There was a long silence on the other end of the call. Leo was worried it might have dropped before Kerissa responded.

"I would love to Leo... but I'm actually really busy right now. Something important has just come for my work. I'll see you later, gotta go now, bye."

"By-" Leo was cut off as she hung up before he could finish his own farewell. Putting away the phone, Leo continued flipping through channels on the TV to find something to entertain himself with.

More time passed and Leo found himself dozing off, but his drowsiness was shaken away as he heard the front door open.

It was Aeris, alone as she walked passed the gray feline. Leo sensed that something was wrong. Her ears dropped down and swayed with her motion as though lifeless, her tail sagged in the same weak state and gently brushed against the floor behind her.

Aeris just looked down at the floor as she made her way to her room, her arms wrapped around herself and her face devoid of any sort of emotion. She didn't even seem to notice Leo was there, not until he spoke up.

"So how was dinner?"

Aeris stopped, her hand clenched around the knob to her door. For what felt like ages, the pink cat stared at Leo before she finally gave an answer. Then, without another word, she went into her room and the apartment fell silent. Leo returned his attention to the TV, knowing it was best to leave Aeris be. But he couldn't help but wonder where Alex had gone, and what he had to do with this.

* * *

><p>"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Alex said, shaking his head as he scolded himself.<p>

The hybrid sat against an old tree at the park he was in. His back continuously throbbed in pain, the gash at the side of his brow still trickled fresh droplets of blood as the bruised nerves around it pounded against his skull. But those miniscule annoyances paled in comparison to the tempest raging inside of his mind and the churning in his chest that felt like his insides had turned to noodles thrown into a mixer.

The aching pain of regret and confusion tore into him. All he could do now was think on the many mistakes he had made in that short amount of time.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Well... I do apologize for the quality of this chapter... Dull, flat, boring. All words I'm sure you're thinking.**

**I sort of wrote myself into a corner, so to speak, with this chapter. Usually when I think up how a story will progress, I tend to neglect how each chapter will break up and fit together. Well, this little 'tournament' chapter was meant to be a little tid-bit that would move onto another event (next chapter)**

**I was planning on having it be apart of last chapter as the ending. But as I wrote it, I figured the ending I gave it was a good stopping point for it, plus it was plenty long already. And as I prepared myself for this chapter, I just thought that having this at the beginning of next chapter, then going on with the chapter itself, would have made it look weird in some such way. **

**So I was left with this, attempting to add a little more to a small idea, ending up in this bore fest. I may have saved the chapter with the last half, what with Leo and the ending suspense, but I doubt it. I also doubt that my bad joke/references with the games were really helping... What they should have played was Cleavage Calibur 4: Jiggle Edition, _that_ would have kept your interest, but I doubt Aeris would have appreciated it... **

**Anyway, just take this chapter with a grain of salt and I'll try to make it up to everyone.**


	25. Real Men Love Pink

**Chapter 25: Real Men Love Pink**

Aeris and Alex walked through the streets. They talked to pass the time as the restaurant Alex planned to go to was a ways away from their home.

"I still can't believe you planned to fix Leo up like that at the carnival," Aeris said. It was the first time it had been brought up since the event itself.

"Well," Alex replied with a shrug, "I'm not much of a matchmaker, but I've had experience in trying to create a romantic spark between people. Since I started trying to hook Jake up with a steady girl when we lived together, I've only improved my technique."

"You tried setting Jake up?" Though Aeris hadn't know the wolf-hybrid for that long, it was easy to tell how much of a womanizer he was. The concept of him in a relationship seemed next to impossible.

"Heh, it was purely selfish on my part actually. I figured I'd be better off seeing only one naked girl around the house rather then the plethora I've already witnessed on nearly a daily basis." Aeris gave the hybrid an odd look at the statement. "Let's just say that Jake wasn't one for bedrooms back then. In fact, I think he intentionally... did it, so I'd be forced to walk in on him every time I came through the front door."

"Wow..."

"Yeah, he has a sick sense of humor sometimes. Makes me think of what kind of trouble he's already in down south."

A cold chill blew past them, the changing season making itself present once again. Aeris zipped up her jacket further to keep herself warm, being glad she grabbed it before they left. It caused her to notice that the hybrid walking next to her was without one.

"You're coat's missing," she said, looking at the stripes on his bare arms.

"Huh," Alex huffed, looking down at himself with slight surprise, "I must have forgotten it. Oh well."

"Aren't you cold?" Though she doubted the old thing was very warm, it would have offered some protection.

"Nah, the cold doesn't bother me... But your concern is noted." They continued walking for several minutes, remaining relatively silent. "Ah, there it is." Alex pointed off toward a building across the street.

"That's the restaurant?" Aeris asked. It didn't look like any kind of restaurant she had ever seen.

It looked more like a cafe then anything, though it was about twice the usual size.

"Well," Alex said with a chuckle, "it might not be five star, but their food is fantastic. I actually ate here the first day I came to this city."

They walked into the 'restaurant' and Aeris could see why he called it such. There were many booths that spread out across the walls of the building, each booth looked to be able to hold up to four people. A counter stood tall just before the kitchen, metal stools with round seats were bolted to the floor in front of it. Over the counter hung a large menu with everything they had.

Looking at the selection, Aeris was surprised to see all that they had to offer. From a simple BLT to a few dishes she couldn't even pronounce, they served just about every kind of food you could expect from an actual restaurant. The pink cat also noticed the irony of a crossbreed liking such a mismatched place.

As Alex and Aeris entered, they were greeted by a waitress.

"Well hello and welcome. Is it just the two of you?"

"Uh, yeah," Alex answered, looking behind him for a moment to see if anyone was close to them, finding her question strange.

"Alrighty then." The waitress eyed them both for a moment before grabbing two menus. "Now, we have several specials right now. Especially for a romantic meal, we have a special-"

"No no," Alex interrupted, "it's just a friendly outing."

"Oh," the waitress muttered, looking at Alex for a moment. "Well, actually, I'm a bit busy at the moment. But, I will get someone else to see to your order immediately, just have a seat and relax yourselves."

She handed a menu to each of them and Aeris and Alex looked for a spot they could sit. There weren't many people in the restaurant so they quickly found a table, sitting back farther then everyone else for seclusion.

Alex was already looking through his menu, while Aeris looked off toward the counter she faced. There, she could see the waitress who had greeted them talking to a young vixen, a fellow waitress. They whispered to one another about something, the former waitress pointing toward their table. The vixen looked toward them for a moment and looked back to her friend with a gleeful excitement. They whispered back and forth a few times more before the former waitress pushed the vixen in their direction before disappearing into the kitchen.

The vixen approached their table with a smile, eying Alex as she came closer.

"Hello there," she greeted with even more sweetness in her voice then the previous waitress had, "are you ready to order?"

"Well..." Alex muttered, still looking at his menu, "I had the steak last time I was here. Might as well stick with what I know, so one steak meal and coke please."

"Excellent choice," the waitress chirped, jotting down the order on a notepad. Her eyes then shifted to Aeris, looking at her as if she had just noticed the feline was there. "And you?" Aeris noticed a stale, almost sour, tone as she addressed her, but she ignored it.

"I'm not sure..." Aeris wasn't one for large amounts of beef and a simple sandwich seemed like a waste of a free meal. "The fish fillet I guess... and a coke to drink" The waitress nodded and took their menus before moving into the kitchen.

With so little people in the restaurant at the time, it didn't take very long for their food to arrive. Their vixen waitress sat down Alex's plate in front of him, a large slab of a steak with a side of potatoes and gravy. Aeris' fish was next, her fish fillet looking perfectly cooked with a miniature bowl filled with tarter sauce.

"Ah, delicious," Alex said, eying his meal hungrily while he made the first cut.

The hybrid had been right about the food, as Aeris quickly noticed after taking her first bite. It had to of been the best fish she had ever had.

"Mmm, you have got to try this," Alex said, savoring another bite.

"Yeah... I don't think so," she answered, having no interest in it.

"Aw come on, I know you'll like it."

Aeris shook her head, but Alex wasn't deterred by it. As a grin crept across his lips, Alex grabbed the pepper shaker that was with the other small items you'd typically have at your table. With simple tilts of the glass container, the pepper snowed on the steak in small incriminates. But as Aeris's attention shifted away from him, Alex dabbed a small pile onto his hand and blew a puff of air at it in her direction.

The pepper was blown toward her. Aeris wasn't ready to react as the flakes of pepper caught her in the face, more specifically her nose.

"Ah-cho," Aeris sneezed, turning her head away out of reflex. As she turned back to the table, she took a quick breathe to help her lungs after the sudden burst. Alex was ready for it. Just as her mouth was open, he put his fork and the cut of meat attached inside.

There was a moment of surprise that was quickly replaced by anger.

"Why you fu-" she began saying, stopping as the taste of the meat finally reached her. It was good, there was no doubting that. Aeris swallowed the steak and caught Alex laughing at her, finding amusement in her reaction. "Don't you _dare_try that again," she growled, still upset that he had just force fed her. "How would you like it if I shoved food down your throat?"

"Heh, it would take more then a few cheap tricks to get me."

"Oh really?" To Aeris, that sounded like a challenge.

With her own sly smirk, Aeris did nothing to hide herself cutting away a small piece of her fish, Alex eying her intently throughout. Keeping his eyes trained on her fork, Aeris was quick as she raised her foot up from under the table and stomped down hard on the hybrid's toes.

"Ahg-" Alex yelped, his pained noise being cut off as Aeris shoved her fork into his gaped mouth, nearly stabbing his tongue.

After several noises of pain and coughs, Alex struggled to finally swallow the piece of fish.

"That was just mean," he said, rubbing his aching foot. Aeris laughed at him.

It soon came to Aeris that this was really the first time they had sat down for a nice meal together by themselves. Though, technically, the day Leo ran off with Ternaldo was their first, it was filled with too much awkwardness to count. But now, it was just a peaceful outing they were having. As Aeris thought on it further, she couldn't help but enjoy every moment of it.

But of course, not everything was perfect. Two major details just had to blemish what would have otherwise been a wonderful day. Those two details taking the chaotic form of people.

Their waitress was the first.

All throughout their dinner, the vixen would constantly check up on them. While it was common practice for a waitress to do such a thing, seeing if their customers needed anything as to a refill on a drink or condiment, their own foxy helper did so in a much more constant sense.

Almost every couple of minutes she would be at their table, checking if they needed a refill on their drink or if anything was wrong with their food. Rather, if Alex needed anything. The pink feline might as well of not existed. She watched as the waitress stood so close to the hybrid as she asked him her usual questions, seeming to stand closer every visit. Completely ignoring Aeris in the process.

Normally, Aeris wouldn't care. She never needed anything herself, but the fox's constant appearance was grinding into her nerves almost as badly as Leo would on a daily basis. Just seeing her next to Alex, her obvious flirting attitude around him, her skimpy uniform, her eyes practically undressing him. Several moments occurred where Aeris found herself gripping her fork with such ferocity that her fingers ached.

Alex didn't seem to notice any of it though, her clear motives looking as though they blew right passed him. But Aeris became shocked as she saw the looks he gave the vixen every so often when she left. His gaze subtly moving to the side, his head turning little by little to catch a view of her backside as she walked away. Aeris was quick to keep her eyes on her food when he turned his head back to the table, acting as though she didn't see him starring at the waitress.

Despite her growing aggravation with the waitress, she was nothing when compared to her own visitor.

Their food was shrinking more and more as they ate, their stomachs filling just as quickly. With her hunger being satisfied, Aeris savored the last few bites of her fish and set her fork down. Alex still had a good sized chunk left, but the hybrid seemed to take bigger and bigger bites with each passing cut of his knife.

Watching him eat, Aeris didn't notice the shadow hanging over her, or its maker looming just at her side.

"Well hello beautiful," a masculine voice cooed, a thick sense of flirtation within every syllable.

Aeris barely had to turn her head to catch sight of the wolf standing next to her. With dark gray fur and a black biker jacket, he had a clear tough guy look going for him. Though something told her it was a cheap facade.

"I couldn't help but notice you all the way back here," the wolf continued, leaning against the back of her seat and inching himself closer and closer. "Why don't me and you go have some fun together, eh _pussycat_?" Saying the nickname with an inflection on it, as if finding it clever.

"Not interested, I don't date canines," Aeris said flatly, turning her cold gaze away from him.

"Who ever said anything about dating?" the wolf retorted with a small chuckle. "I was just thinking we could give each other a good time. I've never sampled a pussycat before... and pink is my favorite color." He leaned in closer, his muzzle just a hair away from her ear. "But your fur isn't the pink I'm interested in."

Aeris' fist clenched tightly underneath the table, ready to knock the impertinent wolf's teeth out. But her flexing muscles were softened as a new voice broke into her concentration.

"I think she's already given you her answer."

Both the wolf and Aeris looked to see Alex. The hybrid wiped his mouth clean as he set his fork aside, his plate empty.

"Oh?" the wolf said, leaving Aeris' side and stepping closer to the crossbreed. Alex kept a calm demeanor, lazily looking up at the wolf that now stood over him.

"Maybe it was the sudden downward shift in blood flow that effected your hearing, but she made herself quite clear. And frankly, I think you owe her an apology for your rude behavior."

"An apology?" The wolf laughed at that, his tough guy attitude showing even more at this point. "Oh, now I get it. You're playing some kind of white knight bullshit. Hoping she'll fuck you now. Is that it?" Alex shook his head.

"A rather quick conclusion, a false one too. I don't want any trouble, but you'd be wise to apologize to my friend here for your rude comments and accept her rejection of you." Again the wolf just laughed at the hybrid, his face gaining a large grin as he cracked his knuckles.

"Ha! Are you threatening me? You striped fox freak! Let's see you how tough you are."

Without warning, the wolf threw a punch at Alex. But he didn't make any contact. Alex moved from his seat to dodge the attack. Grabbing the wolf's arm, Alex side-stepped by him and pulled his arm behind his back. With his free hand, Alex gripped the wolf's head and forced him down onto the table.

The wolf's head smashed into the wooden surface with a loud thud. Their drinks jumped in the air for a moment and nearly spilled over as they clattered back down.

"This could have been avoided," Alex said with a sigh, standing behind the wolf as he twisted his arm back and held his head down onto the table.

The wolf grunted in pain as he felt the joints in his shoulder cracking. Every employee and customer in the restaurant had gone silent, watching the spectacle take place but not lifting a finger to do anything about it. Aeris herself could only stare at the scene in shock.

"You fucking son of a bi-" the wolf growled, pushing off of the table to force himself up. But he was cut off mid-insult as Alex slammed his face back down onto the table again, putting more force into it this time.

"Bitch?" Alex asked. "Sorry, mother was a tiger, not a dog. But I forgive you for that. What I can't forgive is your lack of courtesy to my friend. Now I've helped you part of the way for your apology, bringing you to a good angle to speak it, but I can't force you into the rest of it. What I _can_ force though is the breaking of your arm from your torso."

"Fuck you!' the wolf spat. A bad decision.

The wolf was quickly howling in pain as Alex jerked his arm further back, bringing the limb near its breaking point.

"Just remember, I have _very_ little patience," Alex said warningly. The wolf didn't say anything right away, his heavy breathing taking away from his ability to speak, but he eventually broke.

"Okay okay," the wolf whined, looking up at Aeris, quite difficult from his position. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry for what I said. Please just let me go now." Alex merely shook his head.

"Oh no no no, simply saying 'I'm sorry' isn't really a good apology. Let's hear you explain your previous uncouth actions toward her, maybe tell her exactly why you did it."

A sound of protest started coming from the wolf, but it was quickly silenced as Alex tightened his grip on his arm.

"I... uh... You're just a really beautiful girl... I just... I just didn't know how to express that well... and I'm sorry for if I made you feel uncomfortable at all! Please just let me go!"

"That was very good," Alex said, speaking to him as though he were a child. "Aeris, do you feel satisfied with his apology?" Aeris could only give a simple nod, turned speechless at what was occurring in front of her. "Alright then. I guess you can go, but one more thing. What does a bad dog sound like?" Alex bent the arm back once more, bringing the bone to it's limit. The cracking sound of the joint was drowned out by the pitiful whine of pain the wolf gave off. "Good boy."

After Alex released his hold, the wolf quickly stood up and stared at him. For a moment, it looked like the canine might try an attack once again. But as he stood there, his heavy breathing being his only sound, the wolf caught sight of the people in the restaurant, every eye on him.

With a low growl, the wolf turned away from them and stormed out of the restaurant. He stopped just as he came to the door to look back at Alex, glaring daggers at him. The wolf then left, nearly shattering the door's window as he slammed it shut.

"Is everything alright?" the vixen waitress asked, finally showing her face after everything was over.

"Peachy," Alex said, sitting back down at the table. "By any chance, did the gentleman who just left order anything?"

"Uh... yes, he had a coffee and a slice of our pie of the day."

"Hm, probably walked out on it too didn't he... Okay then," he chimed with a smile, "add his order with our check and bring two of the same over here. Some caffeine and desert sounds wonderful right about now."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So this is chapter 25. I know what you're thinking. Doesn't show any light on 24. Well, lemme explain. Technically, this isn't all of 25. It was actually much longer. But as I was working on the final few paragraphs of this, I realized something. This chapter is fucking LONG. I wasn't even done yet and I was a few hundred words passed 7k... **

**I didn't want to break the chapter up as I always pictured this as one whole chunk, but I've figured it would be for the best, and I think the ending here seems like a good stopping point anyway... So expect 26 to be up sometime around tomorrow or the next day, after I've put the finishing touches on it. **

**So, (ahem) as for the chapter itself... Dohoho, a sexual joke that doesn't involve Jake, oh boy I do slay me. But technically... he is a wolf... so I guess that could count... iono.**

**And Alex is kind of a dick when he wants to be... huh... **

**Anyway, hope everyone has enjoyed the chapter so far, expect its continuation soon.**


	26. Bad Decisions

**Chapter 26: Bad Decisions**

Alex and Aeris had their pie and coffee in silence. The entire restaurant was still quite in fact, not a soul uttering a sound as they shot nervous glances toward their table. Only the fox waitress and her fellow employee seemed to talk, whispering to one another again as they looked over to them.

Aeris only picked at her order, still shocked at what had happened and how calm Alex was about it. His demeanor didn't seem to change since the wolf came and went. After the hybrid finished his drink and dessert, and Aeris destroyed her own beyond recognition, they decided to leave. Alex paid for the meal as he had promised, even leaving a good sized tip.

That very waitress kept her eyes locked onto the hybrid as they made for the exit, watching him expectantly. But he didn't say or do anything, just walking passed her. Aeris was saddened that she couldn't see the look of disappointment on the vixen's face as they left the restaurant.

The two friends walked in silence. Though Aeris wanted to speak, she just didn't know what to say.

"I'm sorry Aeris," Alex sighed, breaking the silence himself. All the feline could do was look at him in confusion. "I know you could have handled that guy yourself. You didn't need me stepping in, all I did was take things too far. I'm sure to have embarrassed you... It's just that wolf... and what he was saying, ugh." Aeris could see the hybrid becoming visibly upset about something.

"Don't be sorry," Aeris said, showing the hybrid a smile. "I'm certainly not the one you ended up embarrassing. Really... I'm flattered if anything. It's not everyday someone sticks up for me like that. I'm just happy we got out of there when we did. It looked like that waitress of ours was going to start salivating as she swooned over you."

"Really?" Alex asked in surprise. "Was she?"

"Oh come off that," Aeris retorted, not believing him for a moment. "She was all over you, you had to of notice. I saw you giving her looks too. Maybe you two should have hooked up, she obviously likes you." Alex shook his head.

"Nah, you might not have noticed but she was never looking at me, she was looking at these." Alex pointed to the stripes on his forearm. " Though I might stare, my heart never follows. I suppose it's a natural attraction due to our species, but I've never had a thing for foxes. Besides, I know her kind and what they want."

"Oh?" Aeris asked, not understanding what he was getting at.

"Girls like her, they are only interested in the fact that I'm a hybrid. Like some kind of rare, exotic piece that they want to experience. Much like how an American girl might want a guy just because he's from Europe. All they want you for is a one night stand so they can brag about it to their friends, as if it were some kind of trophy. I don't like the idea of being used in such a way. It's the same with Jake, though he just doesn't care. While I'm not denying his obvious skill at attracting women on his own, being a crossbreed certainly helps."

"You talk as though being crossbred is your only quality." Alex laughed at that.

"Oh yes," he said, still chuckling. "A groomed snob turned into a thieving street mongrel whose as socially inept as he is emotionally distant. Regular ladies man."

"It's not just that," Aeris protested, not realizing what she was saying. "You're handsome, kind, intelligent, with a very good-"

"Wait," Alex said, stopping in his tracks, his eyes narrowing as he looked beyond where they stood.

"Hey," Aeris grumbled, agitated at the sudden interruption, "I'm just trying to give you a compliment."

"Shh," he shushed her, his gaze focusing on something. Aeris followed his line of sight to see an old truck slowly moving down the street in their direction. Its tinted windows made seeing who was inside impossible. The truck slowed as it came closer and closer to them. "This way." Alex grabbed Aeris' hand and pulled her down into an alley.

Walls of stone towered over them from both sides as they went behind the buildings. The alleyway led to a crossroad of four buildings, four different paths branching off around them. Alex picked the one straight ahead and they started heading for it, but they stopped as a large vehicle parked in front of it, blocking their way out. They turned to head back the way they came. As they looked back, they could see the old truck blocking that end as well.

With only two more ways out, Alex and Aeris ran to one, but they found that both of them were blocked as well, by a small group of people that marched toward them. They were trapped.

The ones who trapped them appeared to be all dogs, ranging in multiple species. Some wore leather jackets and chains, others had on a simple tank top and bandana, a shepherd even carried a wooden bat with him, they came off as some kind of wana-be street gang.

But they couldn't see any reason for the hostile action. That was until _he_ stepped forward.

It was the wolf from the restaurant, a sadistic grin plastered on his face as he stepped from the crowd of dogs, his fiery gaze set upon Alex who held his ground.

"Well well well," the wolf said, marking himself as their leader. "What a coincidence, running into you here." The dogs around him grunted and growled in anticipation amongst themselves, easily following a loyal servant mentality.

"Yeah," Alex said without a hint of intimidation, or at least not showing one, "we just decided to head home after our meal. Now if you don't mind, we'd like to get back to doing that."

Aeris tried mimicking his calmed attitude, but she was finding it hard to as she came to realize what was in store for them. She hadn't ever experienced something like this in her life. The dogs all grunted in amusement, making their situation look all the bleaker.

"Oh I don't think so," the wolf replied. "You see, first I'm going to teach you your own little lesson. When we're done with you, whatever's left of your battered carcass will be left here. As for your friend... well, the boys aren't one for cats, but I'm sure they can make an exception." The hybrid's calm demeanor shifted, his knuckles cracking as his fists clenched, his eyes glaring at the wolf.

"She's already given you your answer," Alex said, his voice beginning to rumble in a growl.

"We can be _very_ persuasive."

Alex took a step back, he turned his head toward Aeris, the pink cat still trying to keep herself from panick.

"Aeris," he said, "stay behind me. And no matter what, do not help." Aeris stared at him, wide-eyed, seeing that he had no plans to try and run from them.

"But Alex-"

"_Listen to me_," the hybrid growled at her, it was enough to bring a tinge of fear of the hybrid himself. Aeris nodded her answer and Alex turned back to the dogs.

"Just walk away," he warned, his own fiery gaze staring down the wolf, "you don't want to test me. No good will come of this." But the wolf just laughed at him.

"For you maybe." The leader nodded to the dogs and they all moved in on them.

Alex watched them all intently as the dogs surrounded them. He paused and took a deep breath before readying himself.

A pit-bull made the first move, punching at Alex with enough force to break his jaw. But the dog was shocked to see the hybrid catch his fist, and without missing a step, swing his leg up to make contact with the dog's kidney. Groaning in pain, the wounded canine fell over onto the ground.

Two more dogs took the chance to catch Alex off guard, throwing their punches at the same time. Alex stepped the left, avoiding one swing but caught the second across the mouth, splitting his lip. Recovering quickly, Alex swung his fist up and cracked his attacker in the side of the head, knocking the disoriented dog onto the ground. The first dog took another swing but Alex ducked, grabbed the outstretched arm and twisted it. A loud cracking sounded off and the dog cried out as the limb was disconnected from the socket. He fell to his knees in pain, allowing the hybrid to get behind him and knock him out with an elbow to the back of the head.

The rest of the dogs were no longer playing around, all at once, they charged him full force. It was all he could do to avoid being hit as he dodged their swings. Every attempt at his own attack, Alex caught a blow from one of the dogs. Two of the canines realized Alex's preoccupation with the others, they eyed Aeris with devilish grins, stepping toward her.

Aeris watched on, fear gripping her. She was too enthralled with Alex's own fight that she didn't see the dogs coming for her.

They grabbed her by the arms, Aeris gasped in shock as they did. But the pink cat wasn't as defenseless as they thought. She struck her elbow out, plowing it into the muzzle of the dog to her right. The dog whined in pain as blood began dripping down from his nose. Growling in anger, the dog grabbed her arm to hold it still. Aeris wasn't able to defend herself as the agitated dog struck her across the face.

Alex heard his friend, his attention split as he turned to her. It was all the dogs needed as one made contact into his stomach, causing Alex to lurch forward. It made it all the easier as the shepherd holding the bat came forward, swinging it upward and cracking the hybrid in the skull.

"No," Aeris cried, watching the hybrid's body being thrown against the pavement, her holders too entranced in the show to do any more harm to her.

They laughter of the wolf could be heard rising up against everything else as Alex groaned in pain, blood rolling down his face from where he was struck.

The dogs didn't give him a chance to stand. As the hybrid attempted to push himself up the bat wielding dog swung down onto his back, forcing him back to the ground with another cry of pain. Aeris shut her eyes as he tried standing again, only to be knocked back down with another swing of the bat, the dogs laughing at his torment all throughout.

A third time Alex began pushing himself up, his breathing turned raspy, every exhale rumbling out like a growl. The shepherd just grinned while raising the bat up even higher, preparing for an even stronger blow. He swung down with all of his might, aiming to smash open the back of his head. The shepherd felt a satisfying resistance as the bat made contact.

But there was no sound of gushing blood or crunching bone, just a loud thud. The shepherd looked in shock as Alex's outstretched hand held onto the bat's end, raised up to block the last blow. Before the shepherd could do anything, Alex's other hand shot forward and clamped around the dog's wrist that held the bat.

Fear crossed the canine as Alex's iron grip tightened, the pain of it forcing him to release his own grip on the bat. But the hybrid wasn't done there. The alleyway suddenly echoed with the audible snapping sound of bone. The shepherd howled in pain as his wrist was twisted nearly ninety degrees.

Finally being released, the shepherd fell to his knees and held his broken wrist, he could do nothing to prevent Alex's next attack. Gripping the bat with both hands, Alex swung the bat like a golf club in an upward angle, smashing into the shepherd's skull and knocking him to the ground.

The dogs holding Aeris lost their grip on her as they watched Alex make quick work of their comrade. Free, Aeris' anger was put into another punch as she aimed for the dog with the bleeding nose, making contact with his mouth, knocking him out cold with the one hit and causing fragments of teeth to litter the floor around his body. The other dog took notice and raised a fist to strike her. But he didn't get the chance, Alex saw it and moved to stop him, catching him in ribs with the bat and again in the head as he fell.

As he was now close to her, Aeris saw Alex and felt fear's paralyzing grip on her. The hybrid's haggard breath matched with his bristled fur and bloodshot eyes, the blood that still covered his face where he was struck only made him all the more terrifying.

But Alex was already moving to attack another dog, but stopped as they all stepped away from him. The hybrid then noticed who they were stepping aside for, a large bulldog, beating the crossbreed in size by nearly a foot and a half. But Alex wasn't intimidated in the slightest.

Alex swung the bat at him, aiming for his face. But the bulldog caught in the bat before it even came close. His gripped around the wooden weapon tightened until it splintered in half from his strength. The larger half fell to the ground, but Alex still had the jagged handle. Ducking down as the bulldog tried taking a swing at him, Alex took the handle and stabbed it into the dog's leg. The wound forced the dog to his knees and Alex grabbed the bulldog's head and brought it down on his knee. The force of the attack threw the bulldog backward to crash down onto the ground with a thud.

"Get him!" the wolf shouted angrily, the remaining dogs hesitating as the hybrid stood over the fallen bulldog. But they listened to their leader, all charging at the hybrid. It was a mistake.

Aeris watched as the sound of snapping bone kept repeating it's sickening chime. It was always followed by a chorus of cries from the injured canines as they attempted to attack the hybrid. Alex was no longer going for a quick knockout with them, he was causing pain.

Alex just finished dealing the final blow to a corgi, the fingers of his mangled hand pointing in all possible directions.

All of the dogs now laid at his feet. But their wolf leader, having avoided the conflict himself, watched horrified as the hybrid's fiery gaze was now aimed at him. Panicking, the wolf turned and ran for it, but Alex wasn't going to let him escape.

Alex charged after him, his adrenaline fueled fury clearing the distance the wolf tried setting. Grabbing him by the back of the shirt, Alex threw the wolf to the side. His feet flailed wildly across the ground as they tried finding footing, but the wolf couldn't stop as he crashed face first into the stone wall of the nearby building.

Blood started dripping down his face from the bludgeoning, matching the wound Alex had sustained from the bat.

"You just couldn't leave well enough alone, huh!" Alex shouted, stomping toward the wolf who was pushing himself from the wall to try and recover. The crossbreed grabbed the wolf by the back of the head and slammed it against the wall again, leaving a large stain of blood on the surface where he impacted.

"You just had to keep pushing!" The wolf attempted to defend himself, swinging his arm outward at his attacker, Alex caught the weak swing by the wrist. Alex's other hand clutched the wolf's arm at the elbow and he pushed inward. A loud snapping sound rang out.

The wolf could only cry out in pain as his broken arm dangled limply at his side. Alex threw him to the ground and pinned him down as he brought a hand against his throat. With his uninjured hand, the wolf tried prying his grip away, standing no chance.

"You knew this would happen!" Alex shouted, tightening his grip and causing the wolf to sputter his breathing. The hybrid's free hand was held up, his sharp claws out and poised to cut the wolf down. His yellow, bloodshot eyes starring down the wolf with a pure hatred. "After all this time, why not just let it go? Huh? Answer me Frost!"

"Alex!" Aeris cried, unable to watch the chaos any longer, she was now more afraid of him then she was of the dogs.

Alex turned his head toward her, the anger that twisted his face slowly dissipated as he saw her and was replaced by a confused stare. He looked back down at the wolf, still sputtering out in horror.

"W-who?" the wolf choked out, "I don't know w-what you're talking about, I s-swear!"

The hybrid looked at his surroundings, still with the confused look as if he had suddenly forgotten where he was. The wolf saw the change and kicked the hybrid off of him.

The wolf ran, clutching his broken arm as he tried getting as far away from the monster as possible. But he didn't make it far, a shadow dropped down from the rooftops and landed in front of him. The wolf couldn't react as a mighty uppercut cracked him in the jaw and knocked him out cold.

Aeris ran to Alex's side as they both looked up in surprise at the figure moving toward them. As he stepped from the shadows, they could see a man wearing a cowl of boxers and a cape of pants.

"Panstman?" Aeris shouted in bewilderment. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Well," the superhero muttered, looking about the scene, "I thought I heard a commotion while on patrol and came here to see you're new roommie tearing into these dogs like a fat man at a buffet."

"You were here the entire time?" Aeris growled, helping Alex up as he tried standing.

"Most of it," he answered, poking one of the dogs with his foot. "Really didn't think he needed help... Damn, really took care of these guys. Bunch of punks so no real sympathies here... I was actually looking for something I could charge 'em with. Needed to get 'em off the streets... You two can go now. No need to worry about any of this, it's obviously self-defense and I can put these canines away for assault."

Aeris nodded and they turned to leave, Alex stopped for a moment to rip off a piece of shirt from one of the fallen dogs, using it as a rag to wipe the blood from his face.

* * *

><p>They walked in silence for some time, Aeris kept her arms wrapped around herself, still feeling the tension of what had passed. Alex stayed next to her, his stride was off as he hunched his back slightly, still feeling the pains of the bat it had taken.<p>

It wasn't the only injury Aeris could see. Apart from the multiple scuffs and marks on his body, the cut on his lip from where the dog socked him. The most noticeable injury on him though was where the bat had struck him. A good sized gash right on his brow, just above the eye.

The wound was already swollen around the cut, obscuring much of his eye in the process, small stains of blood could still be seen around the edges.

Alex kept a hand pressed against the wound, preventing fresh drops of blood from pouring over him.

Traces of his furious attack on the dogs still showed. The hybrid's breathing was heavy, huffing with low rumbles. Aeris could see from his good eye that it was still bloodshot, nearly covering the white in a pink haze.

"Are you alright?" Alex asked, seemingly out of nowhere. It took the pink cat by surprise, considering how he looked.

"Uh, y-yeah," she said. She was fine, just a little shaken. Alex nodded, accepting the answer.

After a while, the hybrid reached into his pants pocket and retrieved a pack of his usual gum. With only one piece left, he popped the candy in his mouth, crumpled the wrapper in his fist and threw it to the ground.

The thick silence around them was starting to get to Aeris, especially after what happened.

"So..." Aeris finally spoke, "mind telling me what the hell happened back there?" Alex turned to her with a questioning gaze. "You completely destroyed those dogs, just how do you do something like that?"

"I know Jake told you about our time in the ring," Alex answered, light groans rumbling from his voice as he spoke. "Though I'm no master fighter, it's easy enough to handle people when they have no idea how to actually fight themselves." Another pained groan sounded from him as his head wound throbbed again. "Though sometimes, wounds are inevitable."

"Do you need to go to the hospital or something?" From how he looked, he could really use it.

"No," he answered, shaking his head, "I'm fine. No need to worry, I've suffered worse." She didn't like the sound of that. "Aeris... I, I'm sorry..."

"You're sorry?" she asked, starring at the hybrid perplexedly.

"For what happened... _I_ put you in that situation. _I_ was the one who antagonized that wolf. _I_ took things too far in that restaurant... I caused this."

"Alex... no..." Aeris said, shocked that the hybrid could blame himself over such a thing.

They stopped. Aeris looked up at Alex, seeing his gaze staring at the ground in dismay.

"It wasn't your fault Alex," she scolded, grabbing his hand to get his attention. "That wolf would have acted the same way whether it was me who dealt with him or you... I'm just glad you were with me when that happened... Thank you, for what you did." Alex smiled at that, making Aeris smile herself.

Silence once again took over as they stood there together.

Aeris raised a hand, eying the side of the hybrid's face where his wound was. A wound he had sustained while protecting her. Her hand moved underneath his own, brushing against the gash. Alex winced in pain but he didn't stop her. She kept moving her hand, running her fingers through the soft fur, stopping at the side of his head.

All the pink cat could feel was her previous fears evaporating away, a joy taking their place as she stared at him. Her previous compliments weren't just words to make him feel better. In her eyes Alex was kind, intelligent, caring... handsome.

Old feelings of confusion swirled in her mind, fears of the uncertain that ached down to her beating heart, mixed feelings that she didn't know how to express. But they didn't stop her, they couldn't stop her. Not as she stepped closer to him. She wasn't going to avoid or deny anything anymore, she was going to take her chances.

Just a breath away, Aeris' grip on his head pulled forward. It moved them both closer together, Alex's eyes widened in surprise as Aeris kept pulling. Forcing their lips together, she kissed him.

Alex's body tensed, too surprised to do anything else. But as Aeris kept her lips locked with his own, a strange sense of longing took hold, relaxing his body as he returned her affection.

The pink feline's pulling had yanked the hybrid out of his own internal world. All of the old walls of avoidance and controlled emotion were left behind. His certainties of his life and what he knew shattered the very instant he felt the soft caress of Aeris' lips.

Aeris took in the subtle taste of blood from Alex's wounded lip, but she didn't care. She was enjoying the moment too much to notice, the sweet taste of the gum that was still in his mouth overpowering it as well.

Her hands kept a tender touch on the sides of the hybrid's face, her own skin tingling as she felt a pair of hands wrapping around her waist.

Everything around them was blurred out of existence. All of the piling confusions and anxiety drained away. All she knew now was that she was happy. She didn't want this moment to end, she didn't want to let go.

But it didn't last. Everything Alex had left behind, his hardened stance over his own ideals and emotional distance to those around him, all slammed back full force. Coming to his senses, Alex pushed himself away from their embrace.

They both just stood there, staring at each other. Alex's eyes looked upon Aeris with confusion, not knowing how to take in what had just occurred.

"Aeris... I... I..." he tried saying, but nothing could be said. After a long pause however, Alex's gaze hardened, his fists clenched and he turned his back to her. "I'll see you back at the apartment." His words came out as cold as the breath used to make them.

Alex left her there, walking off and disappearing around a corner Aeris tried giving chase, but her legs were rooted to the ground. All she could feel was confused and hurt. A cold chill ran down her spine, she wasn't sure if it was due to the dropping temperature or from what she had just done.

A quivering sigh escaped her as the loneliness soon took hold. With no idea as to where Alex now was, Aeris headed for home.

Her slow walk to the apartment made the trip last nearly twice as long. The gray sidewalk was all she saw while her gaze was transfixed into its blankness. The continuous dull nothingness caused her to not notice as she began chewing. But when it finally hit her, Aeris spat into her hand and saw the pink wad of bubble gum, Alex's brand. After a moment of thought, Aeris resumed chewing on it, finding a small bit of comfort in the action.

* * *

><p>Leo's head tilted to the side as he began falling asleep in front of the TV. Just as his conscious mind was about to drift off, the front door being opened startled the gray cat fully awake.<p>

It was Aeris, by herself. Leo watched her as she walked passed him, moving toward her room. He could see something was wrong, her depressed mood showing clear to anyone. Her face was emotionless though, her eyes blankly starring down at the carpet. She looked lost in thought, her mind going at a fast pace.

"So how was dinner?" Leo asked, wondering if he could get an answer from her.

The pink cat stopped at her door, a hand clamped down on the knob. She turned toward him and stared for a long moment.

Aeris thought on the answer. Despite everything that had happened, the anxiety, fear, sadness, confusion, there was only one answer she could find in the swarm of thoughts buzzing in her mind.

"It was... nice." Without another word, Aeris went into her room.

Immediately, she collapsed onto her bed, the soft embrace of her sheets doing nothing to comfort her. Thoughts of her own wrongdoing and Alex hating her plagued her mind. They only stopped after Aeris' tired body slipped her into sleep.

* * *

><p>Alex collapsed onto his hands and knees, panting heavily as he tried to catch his breath. His limbs quivered under his weight as all throughout his body, painful aches shot into his nerves.<p>

The hybrid had been walking for sometime, just trying to get away from people and find solitude. But his exhausted body finally gave out, the unbridled surges of adrenaline from the fight with the dogs were all that had kept him standing previously.

Looking around, Alex could see he had fallen in the park. Signs of the carnival still stood amongst the trees, impressions of the events still in the grass, litter from uncaring patrons still strewn about. He carried himself over to the nearest tree and sat down underneath it, leaning against the trunk to regain his strength.

But his rest wasn't comforting, his blood continuously spiked to a boiling point. He was angry, at those dogs, at that gray wolf, at himself. He was angry at everything, but not Aeris.

"_She just doesn't know, doesn't understand_," his inner voice called. "_It's wasn't her fault._"

"So fucking stupid," he growled, shaking his head violently. What happened. What she did. He couldn't hate her for that. He could see the confusion written on her face, the misplaced emotion, even the sadness as he tossed her aside like trash and ran off.

So many things went wrong, his own actions, those intentional and not.

For so long, the hybrid tried to better himself in keeping his inner turmoil in check. Ever since Kerkrin helped him off the streets, Alex learned to control his emotion, through his fighting and meditation.

But that wolf quickly tore through it. Not just for what he did, but for what he was. The wolf had opened an old wound that Alex wished would just scar over.

"_It's been so long,_" Alex thought to himself. "_Why can't I just let it go_?"

The hybrid growled at his own frustration. He then stood up, his body still aching but he ignored it, needing to get home.

As he headed for the apartment, he occasionally looked over his shoulder, gaining an overbearing feeling that he was being stalked. But no one was there. The hybrid growled at himself again, agitated that his old paranoia was returning now too.

Alex absentmindedly began chewing, going for his usual way of calming his nerves. He found himself gnawing on his own tongue. To his surprise, his gum was gone. It took only a moment for a him to realize where his last piece had went.

"Thanks Aeris," he grumbled in crass sarcasm.

* * *

><p>The apartment was nearly quiet. The only sound Alex heard was the faint hum of the TV. He could see Leo asleep on the couch, his head lolled back on the backrest, light snores escaping him as his mouth hung open.<p>

Alex walked into the kitchen and grabbed a handful of ice from the freezer, holding the cubes of water against his face to reduce the swelling. The hybrid then moved to the living room and dropped down onto the couch.

"Ah," Leo yelped, jumping up out of his sleep. He took notice to his roommate sitting next to him. "Oh, Alex. When did you get back?"

"Just now," Alex muttered.

"What happened to you?" Leo asked, seeing the marks on his face.

"Fell down some stairs, into a door," he replied. Not saying it with sarcasm, but with a tone that showed he wasn't about to talk about it.

Leo took the message and didn't say anything else, yawning sheepishly before turning his attention back to the TV.

After a while, the ice in Alex's hand melted down to slippery fragments of their former self. Taking it as his cue, the hybrid got up.

"I'm going to bed," he said, heading toward his room.

But Alex hesitated as he stood in front of his door. As though his neck had gained a mind of its own, he turned his head to stare at the door leading to Aeris' room. A long pause took place before Alex let out a heavy sigh, he turned back to his own door and went into his room.

He was too tired to work it out today, he was sure Aeris was upset with him anyway. He would deal with it tomorrow, after Aeris had time to cool off and he wasn't dead tired. The hybrid climbed into his bed and fell asleep on the spot.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Mkay, here's chapter 26.**

**Adding this one to 25, the word count would be about 8 to 9 k... So I'm kind of glad I split it up. While long chapters can be nice, there _is_ a line. Though I suppose that's more opinion based but meh.**

**Alex is still kind of a dick... or crazy... not sure what terminology is best.**

**And yes, I always figured Aeris would be more impulsive in a situation like this, and more likely to be the one to make the first move.**


	27. Quiet Contemplations

**Chapter 27: Quiet Contemplations**

Alex fell to his knees, his entire body trembling uncontrollably.

He looked down at his hands, their thick coat of crimson dripped down onto the puddle forming under him. All he could do was stare fixedly at the source of it, his mouth quivering with every breath.

A laugh sounded behind him. Alex's fists tightened at the voice, it's maddening sound echoing into the deep reaches of his mind. With a furious yell, he turned and made to strike what had made the noise.

But a hand grabbed his wrist as he swung, Alex felt pain shoot through his arm as the grip tightened and the sound of his bone cracking sounded. The pain wasn't finished yet as the hybrid's subduer held a pistol to his knee. It discharged, shattering through his leg and forcing him to the ground.

Alex glared at the barrel of the gun now pointed at his face, a triumphant laugh still chiming from his attacker. But the gun never fired. All Alex heard was the splashing sound of a liquid, it soon hit him as the overpowering sent of gasoline engulfed his senses.

His entire body was soaked as his attacker dumped the foul substance onto him.

The lighting of a match illuminated the attacker. His gray face was stuck in a smirk as he beamed down at the hybrid. Alex glared with an expression of deep hatred as the match was tossed onto him.

All the crossbreed could do was cry out as the flames swallowed him up, singeing his fur and melting the flesh underneath. The distinct laugh of the attacker still ringing out above the crackling of the flames.

* * *

><p>Alex lurched upward from his bed. His breathing was rapid, his fur was soaked in sweat and his body shivered as though the air had dropped a hundred degrees in temperature. The hybrid looked around his room, the emptiness glaring back at him.<p>

It was just another nightmare.

"Ugh, damn it all!" he growled, wiping his face.

After several minutes of steadying his breathing, Alex got up out of bed. As soon as he pushed off of the ground to stand, a crippling pain shot into his upper back. The hybrid stumbled back onto his bed and paused for a moment before he began shifting his shoulders back and forth, doing the action several times before the tensed muscle finally relaxed itself.

Attempting to stand once again, Alex got up and forced his back into an arch. A series of satisfying pops followed as he stretched.

He was at least glad his wounds were already starting to heal. His back was still sore but it would get better with time. Since the vision in his eye was no longer obscured, he knew the swelling of the gash had gone down. The area still felt very tender and the wound itself stung from the fresh coat of sweat it was given, he would have to remember to clean it later.

Approaching the door leading out of his room, Alex pressed his ear against it to listen in on the rest of the apartment. Everything was silent, not a sound or a whisper from anyone or anything.

"Still early," he mumbled to himself. But the hybrid didn't feel like going back to sleep.

Alex sat down on the floor of his room, crossing his legs and resting his hands on his knees. He then closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, allowing the silence around him to seep in. Relaxing himself, the hybrid thought on the day before. Remembering Aeris' actions as well as his own.

"_Is it possible?"_ he thought to himself. _"Could Aeris even have the slightest bit of affection for me?"_ After what happened yesterday, he couldn't deny that there had to be something. _"Have I really become so emotionally detached that I can't read people anymore unless it's thrown in my face?"_

Alex shook his head, an action directed to himself.

_"That doesn't matter! I never should have just left her like that."_ Alex remembered seeing the confused look in her eyes. _"She might just be confused, it was a hard experience for her with those dogs. She just doesn't understand."_

The hybrids' peaceful state was again broken as he heaved a sigh. A hand lifted up and rubbed the collar around his neck, feeling the bumps of the stitching on its surface.

"_Such fleeting emotions are behind me now. I don't have feelings for Aeris, she's a wonderful friend, an intriguing person who I've grown to respect, but nothing more. My past, my life, I have chosen. These trivialities are merely luxuries, luxuries that are out of my reach, I have accepted that."_

Alex's eyes opened, starring at the door that led outside. It also led to another door, one that he couldn't see now, but he knew it was there, he knew it was inevitable that it would be opened.

"_I'll have to explain myself to her, salvage what I can from this mess."_ His mind's eye looked in the direction of another door. It's own inevitable opening wasn't one he was regretting, but he saw it as a distraction. _"I'll need to get rid of him for the time being as well."_

Alex stood up, feeling the needle-like tingling pain shoot through his legs as the blood coursed through them at their regular pace. He stepped forward and opened his door, immediately turning into the living room, not wanting to physically look at the door he had been thinking of.

* * *

><p>Aeris looked up at her ceiling from her bed, stuck in her own quiet contemplation.<p>

It had started as soon as she woke up. The pink cat shook off her morning drowsiness, but she was suddenly hit with the same dreaded feeling she had the night before.

She had kissed Alex, that much she couldn't deny. But why? That was a question she needed answered. Sadly, that answer could only be found within other questions.

Did she like Alex? While it seemed like that should be an obvious yes, she did after all kiss him that night, but Aeris couldn't just throw the question away with a quick solution. It was certain she liked him as a friend, but how further that went was up for debate.

There was a dry sense of deja vu from the uncertain feelings she was experiencing. It reminded her of Leo and how she felt when she thought she liked him. They ended up as just passing fancies however.

Aeris then compared Alex and Leo. The hybrid was obviously more intelligent. But there was more to it then that. All in all, Alex just seemed normal. Though normal was a relative term. In fact, most people would think the hybrid was anything but. Given his upbringing, his heritage, his personality and even his species, people couldn't look at anything like it as normal. But as Aeris thought on the many strange people she knew, the crossbreed seemed like an average Joe.

But still, that couldn't, shouldn't even, be a reason why she would have been drawn to him.

An old memory crept into her thoughts. It was of the day she first met Leo. The gray cat had stood up for her when an oddly attired classmate was giving her a hard time. It ended so quickly, and yet, a small spark had ignited. She couldn't explain it, even now it was an event that was beyond her understanding, but that feeling of protection got to her.

Was that it? Did Alex's fight with the dogs recreate that very same spark? Leo's own dwindled away with time, eventually being passed off as a childish reaction that didn't mean anything. Now with a much more older Aeris, it may have driven her further then the previous.

Digging deeply within herself, Aeris recalled the emotions swimming around her those moments before she had locked lips with the hybrid. Thinking on it, she couldn't say she was feeling those emotions at that very moment.

The fact of the matter was, Aeris didn't know _how_ she felt.

All Aeris was certain of was her friendship with him.

"Do I really want to tarnish it with these pointless musings?" Aeris asked herself.

Alex himself didn't even show any real signs of his own attraction to her. Though it wasn't saying much. The hybrid was clearly not one who allowed his baser emotions out. It also had weight in how he reacted to her actions before. He seemed upset with her when he ran off. Maybe he just didn't feel that way about her, and being backed into a wall like that caused him to react so negatively.

Aeris knew she would at least have to apologies for what she did. Then, maybe talk with him about what exactly happened and find her answers from there.

"I'll need to talk to him," she said determinedly, standing up and leaving her room.

* * *

><p>Alex looked at himself in the bathroom mirror. He was right about his wounds healing. The gash above his eye was still evident, but the swelling had nearly vanished. His lip stung and the cut was still noticeable. Only a few other minor scuffs still showed themselves. Though it was only a visual change as his body still felt sore all over.<p>

The hybrid took the next few minutes to clean the gash on his brow. Using a wad of toilet paper soaked with peroxide. He cringed slightly as the wound burned and then bandaged it. The spot was much more noticeable now, what with the white spot sticking out against his red fur, but he was better safe then sorry.

Leaving the bathroom, Alex went to the kitchen. Not in the mood for caffeine, he settled for a glass of milk. With only a few gulps, the glass was drained, it felt as though he had nearly sweated himself to dehydration.

The apartment was still silent as the hybrid relaxed himself against the kitchen counter. As he looked at the clock on the microwave, Alex could see it wasn't too far from when he usually woke up. If things were as typical as they usually were, Leo would be up soon.

Sure enough, there was a metallic click as the knob turned and Leo's door opened, revealing the drowsy gray cat as he walked into the kitchen.

Leo looked at the stove and counters. He was checking for signs of his crossbred roommate making himself breakfast, hoping that he could piggy-back on the action to get him to make something for him as well, as he usually did. A huff of tired disappointment escaped him as he saw the lack of evidence that the hybrid was cooking.

"Oh," Leo muttered as he took notice to Alex standing nearby, "not hungry today, huh?"

The hybrid shook his head slightly. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small amount of cash.

"How about you go out and pick us up some doughnuts for breakfast," Alex said, placing the money into Leo's hand. "Buy as much as you want, I don't care what kind."

The feline's face lit up at the idea. He loved fresh doughnuts for breakfast. But it was a rare event whenever they had them, since he hardly ever had any money and Aeris never wanted to go through the hassle so early in the morning.

"Okay," Leo said excitedly, shoving the money in his pocket and running out of the apartment.

Watching him go, Alex nodded his head and turned toward the bedrooms. The trip to the nearest doughnut shop would take the cat at least an hour and knowing him, he was certain to take his time as he spent every cent on a multitude of different pastries.

It bought him some time to be alone with Aeris. He knew with Leo around that there was virtually no chance of a private conversation and he didn't want to let what happened yesterday to fester. With a deep, steady breath, Alex turned to the living room and relaxed on the couch as he waited patiently.

* * *

><p>Aeris took only a small step out of her room. Cautiously, she peered out to see who was where. Leo's door was hanging open, Aeris couldn't hear him inside. Alex's own door was shut, but he always kept it like that, he could be anywhere.<p>

With slow footsteps, the pink cat entered the living room. She froze in place as she caught red fur on the back of Alex's head. His attention was drawn to the TV, even though the electrical box was turned off.

Her sudden stop in motion created a noticeable noise that the hybrid caught. He turned his gaze toward her, his expression unchanging as though he was expecting it.

A long pause took place as they shared a silent starring contest between one another. It lasted for some time before Alex broke free from it.

"Hey," he greeted in a flat tone.

"Hey..." Aeris echoed, her voice just as flat. The pink cat could feel a cold shiver run through her body as Alex's eyes were trained on her. Looking for a distraction, she looked about the apartment and noticed the lack of a certain gray someone. "So... where is..."

"Out," Alex answered. Aeris gave a subtle sigh, she hadn't thought that talking to the hybrid would be so difficult.

Aeris could see the couch the crossbreed was sitting on. Coincidentally, he was on the far right cushion, allowing a decent enough distance if she were sit down on the far left. It almost looked inviting, in a way. With no better idea, Aeris sat down onto the couch with her roommate.

Their close proximity to one another only tightened the tension that was between them. Awkward was leagues away from an appropriate word to describe the situation. Aeris could feel her heart pounding in her chest, it was a wonder how she was able to keep a steady breath. She looked at Alex, keeping a cool demeanor as his eyes stayed with her. But then, it seemed to shift.

His pointed ears dropped down, his gaze matched it as his eyes looked at the floor. Rubbing his eyes, Alex's shoulders lifted and then fell as he made a strange noise that sounded like a mixture of a sigh and a groan.

"Aeris..." he said, his voice weighed down with regret. "About the other night... First let me say that I'm sorry. How I acted... it was inexcusable, no matter the circumstance. You might think I hate you now for it, but I don't. I couldn't hate you for something like that. But I'll understand if you're angry with me for my own actions."

Aeris was taken aback by that. Even after all that had happened, Alex accepted her own mistakes while putting full blame on his own.

"No no," she protested, unable to believe how he thought she would be so upset from his reaction, "I never should have cornered you like that. I just... I just... oh God." She couldn't even explain herself to him. How could she? She barely understood what happened herself.

Alex caught her distress, seeing that Aeris' problem stemmed deep. Deeper then his own.

"Look Aeris," Alex said, "I can see you have your own doubts about what's been happening. But please don't look at me as anything but what I already am. You're a beautiful, intelligent, albeit a little angry, feline. I have no doubt that you'll find the perfect guy for you, one who hopefully has a high threshold for pain... But I'm not that guy."

Aeris nodded. She could see that Alex held no hard feelings for what happened. But it did little to quell the confusing feelings that swirled around her.

"I'm still sorry for what I did Alex," she murmured. "It's just so strange, I just don't know-"

"I understand," Alex said, smiling at her. "It's clear that you aren't one who expresses yourself when needed and I'm certain Leo isn't the best choice when in such a predicament. Just know this, I'll always be here for you if you need someone to talk to. I won't judge you."

Aeris looked at Alex with her own smile. Understanding, as he always was. She couldn't help herself as she leaned forward and grabbed him in a hug.

"Thank you," she said as she held him close, finding closure in the action.

Alex's arms were held up in reflex to the sudden breach in personal space. But his surprised expression slowly softened as he lowered his arms and hugged her back.

"I'm just glad we can forgive and forget." He was at least happy the matter was settled so quickly.

"Me too," Aeris replied, letting go of him. But the hybrid's shock was soon returned as Aeris hooked a finger underneath his collar and forced him forward, bringing him face to face with her. His shock turned to a look of quivering fear as the pink cat's own expression was the most sadistic grin he had ever seen from her, it rattled down deep into his very soul. "Because as I recall, for the next three weeks, you are my _bitch_!"

Alex couldn't help but involuntarily gulp.

* * *

><p>"This is demeaning," Alex growled, crossing his arms stubbornly as he looked down at his new outfit.<p>

Aeris was quick to think up of a first task for the now enslaved hybrid. The idea caused a devilish grin to curl her lips upward as she forced an old outfit onto him, both figuratively and literally.

A french maid uniform. The black cloth and white frill hugged tightly onto the hybrid's frame. It even came with the softest feather duster you could imagine.

A big surprise was how it actual fit. Though he could hardly move, his limbs ached from the lack of blood flow to them and he was certain he would have several rub-rashes after this was all said and done. The only part of the costume that had any excess was the portion of the upper chest, it was obvious as to why that was.

"You look gorgeous," Aeris said with a laugh, snapping pictures with one of Pantsman's old cameras.

"Can I at least wear some pants with this?" The feeling of exposure was almost too much for him as the bottom half of the outfit was extremely short, he could see the end of his boxers just by looking down.

"I can get the underwear that goes with it," Aeris warned.

"Uh, n-no no, that won't be necessary." Alex sighed heavily as the humiliation shadowed over him. "Why the hell do you even have something like this?" He was astonished at the idea of Aeris wearing such an outift at any point in time.

"It was Pantsman's idea," Aeris muttered, now looking embarrassed herself. "He wanted to do a calender and had the two of us dress for each month... I think that was from one of the spring months."

"Wow," Alex said with surprise, "I didn't think you'd allow something like that."

"I was under contractual obligation," the feline spat out. It seemed odd to the hybrid that a simple comic would need contracts from its stars. Not to mention Aeris' lack of foresight to read the contract fully before signing it. "I did break his arm afterward though, that made me feel better... But enough unneeded chatter. You've got a job to do. I want you to clean the apartment, top to bottom."

"W-what!" Alex shouted. "You can't be serious, I get dressed up like this just to clean?" Though it seemed obvious once he thought about it.

"Yup," Aeris answered simply. She sat down onto the couch next to Leo. The gray cat had remained silent, only letting out noises of stifled laughter and his gluttonous eating of the doughnuts he had bought earlier.

"Fine," the hybrid grumbled.

"Yeah," Leo said, laughing and spewing crumbs everywhere, "clean it up!" He tossed a half-eaten doughnut onto the floor, spilling more crumbs onto the carpet.

"Stop that," Alex growled, sending a seething glare at the cat.

"I say it's alright," Aeris said, taking a doughnut for herself and pinching off small portions before dropping it on the ground herself. Alex stood there for a moment, gaping at them. "Come now slave, get to work."

With another growl, Alex obliged, watching as his roommates made more messes for him.

It was going to be a long three weeks.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Aw, isn't it just wonderful to see two characters share a meaningful moment between one another... until one of those characters goes back to being cruel and unusual.**

**Bleh though... this chapter took much longer then it should have. Do you know what it's like to just stare blankly at a document when you try to write? It isn't fun... Maybe I ended up burning myself out with those quick few updates I did earlier... **

**Though another reason is my easily distracted mind since I ended up thinking up two new story ideas. A major problem with me is when I think of something new, I HAVE to keep thinking about it. Since I don't write any of my future story ideas down, my mind is quite literally a clusterfuck of literature. As such, I became somewhat distracted as I pieced together how these future stories would occur.**

**Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of different ideas, some I'm sure I'll never get to. On a positive note though, one of those two stories I've decided to make the next fic I work on. What fic is it? What fandom? Well wouldn't you like to know. (troll face)**

**Since I'm a nice guy though, I'll give this hint. I've actually referenced it twice in this story so far... And since I'm certain no one caught the references in the first place... I'll also throw in this other hint free of charge. One reference is the title of a chapter and the other is within the author's note of another chapter (though I think that doesn't count as an actual reference technically)**

**So yeah, + 1000 internetz for anyone who figures it out (mad cackle)**


	28. Insert, Gonna Fly Now, Here

**Chapter 28: Insert, Gonna Fly Now, Here**

Leo kept a watchful gaze on his girlfriend.

Their latest date took them to a restaurant to have dinner. It was much more respectable compared to where they usually went. Since Leo normally couldn't afford the steep prices at the higher class places the city had to offer, they usually went to a more small-time business. For this date however, Leo acquired a nice source of cash thanks to Aeris.

Or thanks to Alex technically, as it was after all his money. Aeris had just commanded him to pay up. It surprised the gray feline that she would even care, but he shrugged it off as Aeris just abusing the power she now had over the hybrid.

Unfortunately, the date wasn't going as well as they usually would. Kerissa seemed distant, and Leo noticed. Something was bothering the husky, Leo could see that. The many years of living with Aeris tuned him in to when women had problems in one area or another.

"Kerissa," Leo said, finally working up the nerve to question her, "is something wrong? You look like something is bothering you."

The husky looked up from her plate at him in mild surprise.

"Oh uh," she muttered, "it's nothing." A frown crossed the feline's expression as he looked at her, still wanting to know what had his girlfriend troubled.

"You can tell me, I want to know." She still looked hesitant, but after a moments pause, Kerissa sighed and matched Leo's gaze.

"Well, the other day when I said I was busy, something important came up and I thought I would be able to finish my job after it was done. But my employer says he still needs me, so I have to stay with him for longer then I had anticipated."

"What job does he have you doing?" The gray cat had become interested, it was the first time Kerissa had ever brought up her current work. However the husky once again showed a reluctance in speaking.

"He just... it has to do with an old friend of his. I can't really go into detail. He makes it clear that it's a 'need to know' thing." Leo nodded to show his understanding, though he couldn't think of what would be so secretive that you would need a photographer for.

They continued to eat their meal, entering another silence that seemed more forced then anything. But after a while, an electronic ring played off in a melody. Kerissa looked up in surprise as she reached into her nearby purse and grabbed her cell phone, the screen lit up as a call was coming through.

"I thought I turned this off," the canine muttered as she looked at who was calling. For a moment, her eyes looked up at Leo with a gaze of unease before pressing the talk button. "Yes? … This isn't a good ti-" … "I'm aware but-" … "You can't be serious! Why do I have to be the one to-" … "Okay, fine! I'll be there, but don't you dare forget what I've already done for you." She then hung up the phone in an agitated huff. Before muttering under her breath. "Bear bastard."

"Who was that?" Leo asked, starring at her with a mix of confusion and curiosity. Kerissa let out a sigh as she put the phone away.

"Someone who works for my employer. Apparently I'm needed for another task, bastard is too incompetent to do it himself. Ah well, I suppose that's the downside to not having a real job."

"Anything I can do to help." Kerissa looked at Leo with a sudden burst of surprise before it shifted to a warming smile.

"Aw, you're sweet for asking, but it's not something I can't handle easily. I just have to put up with an annoyance, not like I've never done it before."

They talked more after that, discussing how things have been between one another. Though Leo never mentioned the strange night when Aeris and Alex went out to eat, only to come back in such a distant mood. Neither did he mention how things seemed to work themselves out the very next day.

* * *

><p>"Okay," Alex said, addressing Aeris as he cracked the joints in his limbs, "are you ready?"<p>

They were down at the apartment complex's gym. After some time of getting used to a hybrid slave at her beck and call, Aeris decided to use the opportunity to better herself.

It came as a surprise to Alex when the pink cat approached him with the demand that he train her in fighting. After seeing how he destroyed that group of dogs earlier though, Aeris knew that there was a teachable technique to what he did. A technique the feline eagerly wanted to know.

Alex however saw through it and at first refused. But seeing as how he no longer had free will, he was bound by his word to do as she commanded. Even then however, the hybrid was preparing to deny her. But after thinking about it, he realized that even if she gained any kind of ability from him showing her, there was no way she could do harm to someone who didn't have it coming.

"I'm ready," Aeris nodded. She looked around at the boxing ring they were in, it didn't seem necessary that they be on it, but Alex was adamant that they use it. It felt strange to her especially that she had to change her attire. Wearing a pair of loose fit shorts and a tank-top, the crossbreed said how the lack of hindrance and would better her as a beginner.

"Fine," Alex said, pacing back and forth as he eyed her. "First things first, you need to know this. What I'm about to show you is purely a defensive technique. Don't think you'll learn how to break a guy in half, chop his neck into a an unconscious state, rip his heart out or any of that bullshit. To start off with, I need to see what I'm working with. Pretend that you're fighting someone."

Aeris shrugged at the request and tried imagining someone in front of her. She was hesitant at first as the concept felt strange to her. Soon enough however, an imaginary foe formed in her mind and she began taking several swings at it. After a few jabs, Aeris was becoming distracted by a noise. With her concentration broke, she looked to see that Alex was stifling a laugh as he watched her.

"What?" she barked, not liking the fact she was being mocked. The hybrid still kept an amused grin as he looked at her.

"It just occurred to me that you don't know how to fight." The statement caused a heated glare from the feline. Had he just insulted her? It certainly sounded like it.

"I know how to fight," she protested, already raising a fist as to show him by attacking the hybrid. But Alex just chuckled as he shook his head.

"No no. You know how to hit someone, you know how to cause pain. But that isn't fighting. There's a big difference between hurting someone without recourse and being in a physical confrontation. Think about it, how many times has anyone actually tried hurting you back, or even first?"

She paused to think about it and as she did, Aeris couldn't recall a single moment like it. Whenever she would hit someone, it was usually for a comment they would make against her, quickly aggravating her to the point where only physical altercation was the only course of action. But it always ended right then and there, the person she struck would immediately stop and then avoid her at all cost. Leo was the only one who continued to pester her nerves and bring about her fury. And Leo never struck back, not that she thought he even could.

As the long silence persisted, Alex took it as his answer and approached her.

"Alright then," he said. "This may be a good thing, you might pick up on this much easier." He then made a stance just like the one he had when fighting that gang of dogs. His feet were a foot apart from one another and his fists were raised up until they reached his lower jaw. "Try and match my stance."

"Like this?" Aeris asked as she tried copying him. Alex looked her over, he adjusted her legs and moved her arms closer to her chest before nodding.

"Okay yeah, you've got the proper form right. Remember to keep your arms close to your center for equal movement on both sides, keep yourself as tucked in as you can while still retaining maneuverability."

"Is this really it?" Aeris questioned. All she was doing was standing in an odd way, she couldn't see how it offered any great fighting prowess.

"In a way," Alex answered, "yes. The physical motions are quite simple to explain and preform. But to actually apply it in an effective manner, it takes a great deal of training to hone both your body and mind. I can't show you everything, for obvious reasons, but I can show you the basics that will train you. Sit down and close your eyes."

Aeris did as she was told, resting on the ring's floor as she closed her eyes.

"Now relax," the hybrid continued, watching her as she followed his teaching. "Breathe in and out, listen to the silence around you and realize that it can be taken away. Do so and you will feel the entirety of your perception span out further then you thought possible."

Aeris really had no clue as to what he was expecting her to do. But as she sat there, she could feel the area around her. Her senses took in everything at a 360 degree angle. She could hear the subtle thud and feel the small vibration of Alex's feet as he paced around her. Even the few people in the gym couldn't escape her, their sounds cluing her in on where they were in the room. Alex could see she was getting it and smiled.

"Good," he praised, "now you can get up." Aeris did so, standing for a moment, a feeling of clarity washed over her. "The idea of fighting this way is to use your senses to their fullest." The hybrid began circling her, his hands raised up as though he was about to attack. "Your eyes are a perfect asset for your front, but from behind, you must sense your opponent's movement through their sound and presence. Even their scent can tell you where they are or how close if it's particularly strong."

"So you must stay calm to be able to bring your attention to your surroundings?" Aeris asked, making sure she understood.

"Exactly," Alex nodded. "So you know how to find someone, but now you must know how to defend yourself from them." Taking several steps back, Alex turned away from her and held his hands down. "I want you to try and hit me, approach me however you'd like."

Aeris was hesitant at first, knowing he was listening for her. But she crept in slowly to not allow her feet to make a sound. Coming in from the back of his side, Aeris shot forward and struck out with a left jab.

As expected, Alex quickly turned on his heel and grabbed onto Aeris' reaching forearm. With his other hand, he swung forward, aiming straight for the feline's face. She would be lying if she said she didn't flinch as the fist stopped just as it came to her cheek.

"See?" he asked with a smirk. "It's best to grab their attack and quickly counter as they don't see it coming. Of course, simply dodging and then countering works, depending on the attack as well as the angle. The entire fight is based off of your ability to move quickly and having the wits to do all of this in the few split seconds you're given, it's not about pure strength."

"Hm," Aeris muttered, thinking over what he was saying. "Seems like this would take a lot of work." Alex chuckled at that.

"Heh, yeah well... It's not like any of us had anything else to do besides train before our next time in the ring. Though Kerkrin was a great teacher."

They continued for some time. Alex took it slow and tried getting Aeris used to using her senses to tell where someone was coming. She was a fast learner and quickly got the hang of it.

"Very good," Alex said with a clap of his hands. "You're picking up on this quickly. Now though, let's test just how fast your reflexes are." Stepping out of the ring for a moment, Alex grabbed two pairs of padded gloves and tossed a set to the cat.

"You're gonna fight me?" Aeris asked with surprise, a sense of an unfair advantage coming over her.

"Of course not," Alex replied with a amused laugh. "It's just a simple test. I'll pretend to swing at you and you must do your best to dodge or grab the blow, then counter it."

"Okay..." Aeris muttered, putting on the gloves.

"Don't worry," the hybrid reassured. "I won't actually hurt you." Aeris huffed to herself as she raised up her fists and made the stance she was shown. Alex did the same and moved in close.

After a moment of them starring at each other, the crossbreed made his first swing, jabbing straight forward with his right arm.

Having watched him intently, Aeris could see the subtle motion of his shoulder as he quickly pulled back. By the time his fist was coming her way, the pink feline knew exactly what he was doing. But as she dodged it, she didn't counter, the motion coming too quick for her to register that she should.

"Good reaction, but you must learn to follow up with it."

Alex took another shot, swinging his left outward at an angle. Seeing this move coming as well, Aeris was quick to ready herself. Just as his fist came toward her, Aeris grabbed onto Alex's arm. Still reacting, she pulled forward, yanking Alex toward her. Raising her other fist up, she swung forward and caught the hybrid in the face. With the combined force of Aeris' pull and punch, Alex was thrown to the ground.

"Oh God," Aeris exclaimed in surprise, though she couldn't hide an additive of satisfaction from her tone. "Are you okay?" Alex's first response was a pained groan.

"Ugh, y-yeah, I'm fine." The hybrid sat up, Aeris' attack had reopened the cut on his lip and his hand was pressed to his face in an attempt to prevent the blood from flowing out. "Shall we call it a day?"

* * *

><p>Though only a few days passed, to Alex it felt like weeks. Aeris constantly found ways to abuse the power she had over him and the hybrid found his sanity beginning to slip away ever so slowly. It wasn't the few humiliating acts she decided for him to do, like running down the streets in his undergarments while reciting excerpts from both Hamlet and Macbeth, which he knew verbatim, or anything of the like. What got to him most were the minor things that struck into the hybrid's category of annoyances.<p>

One such annoyance was the day she decided to have the crossbreed and herself join Leo and Kerissa as they played a friendly bored game.

And bored was right as Alex's disinterested stare at the Monopoly game that sat in the center of the living room persisted without pause.

"Are you finished?" Aeris asked crossly, having heard the hybrid let out a drawn out sigh, the eighth time he has done so.

"I think I have two more in me," Alex responded, scratching at the bald spot on his forearm. The other day Aers had become curious as to whether or not the stripes on the hybrid were similar to that of his tiger ancestry, being visible on the flesh itself even after the fur was shaven off, she got her answer.

"You don't seem to be enjoying yourself," Kerissa pointed out. The statement came too late however as his attitude hadn't changed for the passed hour they had been playing the game.

"I'm not one for such juvenile games," Alex responded, passing Go and collecting his two hundred dollars from Leo, the banker. "Maybe something a little more stimulating that requires more then a second grade education."

"It's just for fun," Leo said, taking his turn and being sent to jail right after.

"That's subjective."

"He's just having a fit because it isn't his choice," Aeris said, smirking at him as his blank stare turned into a glare for a moment. She then smiled as Kerissa landed on her property and had to pay up.

"A lapse in judgment on my part. I'll have to remember to not make wagers with you."

As Aeris took her turn, Kerissa's gaze turned toward the clock hanging on the living room wall. The husky's ears perked up in surprise and she immediately jumped up from the floor.

"Oh goodness," she said in a hurried tone, "I must have lost track of time. Sorry for leaving in the middle of our game, but I need to get going."

"I can walk you home," Leo offered, already standing up himself as though predicting the answer.

"No thanks," she responded, turning away from the door to face her boyfriend. "I'm not going home right now, it's just stuff that has to do with my employer. I need to hurry now, bye everyone." She was gone, disappearing out of the front door before Leo could say anything else.

The gray cat sat back down in front of the game, much of his previous happiness drained.

"She's been like that for a while," Leo muttered, not directing it to either of his friends. But it made him feel better knowing they heard it.

"People have to work," Alex said. "We can't all sit around all day and do whatever we please."

"I suppose. Hopefully she can get her boss off her back so she doesn't have to get so worried."

They started a new game, one for the now three players. It brought another sigh from Alex but Aeris felt that doing something other then playing video games would be a nice change. That, and she couldn't think of anything else to have the hybrid do at the moment.

After a good two hours were put into their game though, it was interrupted as the phone began to ring, causing the three roommates to jump as the loud chime shattered the otherwise silent apartment.

"I'll get it," Leo said, shaking off the shock and grabbing the phone from its charging station. Aeris took the distraction as a chance to reach toward the stacks of colorful money Leo set up as the banker and take a few hundreds. She shot a warning glance at Alex as he took notice to her cheating and was about to say something. "Alex." The hybrid turned toward Leo as his name was being called. The feline's face held a look of quizzical surprise. "It's for you."

With his own expression of confused surprise, the hybrid stood up and grabbed for the phone. He had no idea who would be calling him. In reality, it was the first time someone had specifically asked for him. The few people he actually knew wouldn't know where he was or how to contact him if they somehow did. It made the face all the more strange as he held the phone to his ear.

"Hello? … Yes this is him speaking. … W-what...? Yes but I don't understa- … Al-alright, I'll be there shortly."

Aeris and Leo both watched as Alex ended the call. His entire body seemed to have stopped moving as he stood there in silence, an almost tangible cloud of dread fell down over the apartment around him. His eyes turned blank as he stared at the nothingness that wasn't there. The two cats felt a cold shiver crawl up their backs as the hybrid's trembling hand slowly set the phone aside.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Though Eye of the Tiger might be more appropriate, all things considered.**

**Well here's chapter 28. We've got something here and something there. Girlfriend trouble, or at least to Leo it's trouble. Aeris still enjoying herself. And we leave at a cliffhanger. **

**What's going on? You may ask yourself this. Is any of this even going anywhere? Well... (puts on lab coat) I have no idea! **


	29. A Friend In Need

**Chapter 29: A Friend In Need**

"Alex...?" Aeris asked worriedly. Just the way the hybrid stood at the phone was enough to make both her and Leo shiver.

"I... I have to go," Alex muttered, his unblinking eyes drifting across the room frantically.

Without warning, he darted toward the door and left the apartment without another word. Aeris called out to him but there was no response. He either couldn't hear her, or chose not to.

Both felines wasted no time in giving chase, needing to find out what was going on. There was no sign of the hybrid in the outside hall. Thankfully, the elevator wasn't in use, showing Alex had opted for the stairs. They used the machine themselves, pressing the button on the inside for the lobby. The idle standing in the suspended metal box was maddening enough, the seemingly stock music playing above them didn't help.

Just as the elevator stopped and the doors opened, Aeris and Leo caught a glimpse of red exiting the building.

It was late, the air was cold and made it difficult to breathe as it was sucked into their lungs during their pursuit. Alex's form could be made out a distance away, but there was no sign of the hybrid stopping and it seemed impossible that the cats would catch up to him.

"Wh-who the hell... called?" Aeris shot to Leo, having difficulty talking as most of her energy was being spent on moving her legs.

"I-I don't know," Leo responded. "It was just... just some guy who asked for a Mr. Alex Kage."

Aeris didn't like any of it. Whatever could have caused their roommate to react in such a way couldn't be a good thing. She was almost afraid to find out.

But they both gave it their best effort to keep the crossbreed in their sights, even as he disappeared around a corner and bounded down a different street. The chase lasted for some time, both cats could feel their lungs burning and the beating of their hearts pounding against their chests.

They could see Alex stopping though, his head turned up at the building before him before he finally ran inside. The pause before entering gave Aeris and Leo a short chance to close in on the hybrid. They both stopped in their tracks however as they saw the large hospital towering over them.

Still with more worrisome questions, both felines ran inside after their friend.

Alex was quickly located as he was examining a map on the wall that showed where the different sections of the hospital were. All the while, a woman at the front desk was attempting to gain the hybrid's attention. Her request went unnoticed as Alex found what he was looking for and bolted down one of the bleak white hallways.

Still tailing him, Aeris and Leo saw the white floors, walls and ceiling of the branching hallways blend together. A constant feeling of foreboding seeped from every inch of the house of medical care. It was especially hard on Leo who never liked hospitals, always being reminded of the one his father had passed away in.

Alex's speed slowed considerably as they came to a large hallway lined with rooms. Aeris saw a sign posted on the wall that indicated that the rooms belonged to patients who were recently treated in the ICU. The hybrid's fixed gaze jumped back and forth to within each room. Halfway through the number of rooms the hallway had, Alex swung open the door of one of the rooms and went inside. Aeris and Leo quickly entered the room themselves.

The room was a small, four-sided box of a place that was built for a single patient. Many of the usual comforts were there, as was to be expected. But none of the décor was what the three were looking at. The owner of the room lied on a bed on the other side of the room.. Different machines sat on both sides of the bed. The most noticeable was a heart monitor, its rhythmic beeping being the only sound in the otherwise silent room.

But it was the actual patient that had everyone's attention. He appeared to be a wolf, obvious from his face appearing from underneath the covers that blanketed his body. The black fur on his face was pure in color except for two gray lines that ran from his eyes and down to the corners of his mouth.

Aeris and Leo gasped as they realized who it was.

Small strips of white bandaging dotted Jake's face, covering small wounds that would be underneath. A transparent mask covered over the his muzzle, forcing oxygen into his lungs to help him breathe.

Alex stood there as he stared at his friend. His body was stiff and unmoving, as though it had been turned to stone. His face looked drained of emotion, like it was sucked away by some nightmarish creature, the red in his fur almost looking as though it was paling. But his eyes were what Aeris and Leo noticed. The small orbs trembled in his skull as their gaze locked onto the unconscious form of his friend, as though his mind and body had no idea how to react to what was in front of him and took it out on his inner being.

Time became stagnate as they stared at the bed and its patient. But their small world was invaded as an orderly walked by the room, an unpleasant look chiseled onto his face.

"Hey," he snapped, his surly gaze falling on Alex, "visiting hours are over. You have to leave, _now_." Alex didn't respond. To the hybrid, the man didn't even exist. "What, are you, stupid or something? I said you need to clear out." Still going unnoticed, the orderly began jabbing a finger into his chest with each word, thinking the physical contact would bring a reaction. "I. Said. Get. Ou-"

The orderly didn't finish. Alex's gaze left his friend's direction and landed on the man poking him. The yellow eyes seemed to darken with anger as a hand shot out and grabbed the orderly's neck.

Aeris and Leo both jumped when the loud bang of the orderly slamming against the nearest wall sounded. His heels thudded freely against the flat surface as he felt his feet lifting off of the ground.

"O-okay, you can, uck, stay," the orderly tried gasping out, his words doing nothing to stop the hybrid's growing fury.

Choked breaths sputtered out of him as the hybrid's grip around his throat tightened. Alex's face was stuck in a terrifying glare, an expression that showed he would have no qualms about breaking the poor man's neck.

But a hand was placed on the hybrid's shoulder. His head jerked toward it and its owner, seeing the worried look on Aeris' face as she stared at him. Alex blinked at her for a moment, his agitated breaths becoming steady as his temper lessened. A thud sounded as the orderly fell onto the floor, released from the crossbreed's grasp.

The man sat on the floor for a moment, gasping for air. But he was soon on his feet, running out of the door as quickly as they would take him.

Soon after the orderly was long gone, a man in a white doctor's coat entered the room. His eyes moved to each of the three visitors before stopping on Alex.

"Ah, Mr. Kage," he said, sounding like he was expecting the hybrid. "I see you received our call."

"What... what happened?" Alex asked, almost pleading with the doctor to relinquish such information. The doctor's gaze shifted toward the hybrid lying unconscious on the bed, giving Alex a sorrowful expression as he looked back at him.

"It seems that Mr... uh, well Jake, was in a terrible car crash." Alex's breathing stopped momentarily as he heard the statement, quickly regaining its normal pace as the doctor continued. "Paramedics found him on the outskirts of the city. Apparently he had been drinking heavily, evident from both the smell and the amount of bottles that were within the car. He had struck the side of a building going at high speeds. The car itself was twisted into an unrecognizable mess of metal, it's a miracle he even survived impact."

"Oh Jake..." Alex muttered, staring down at the floor in tormented shame. "You stupid, stupid fool. Why would you even do such a thing?"

"After being rushed here," the doctor continued, "we found he had internal bleeding, severe lacerations as well as several fractures and four broken ribs. He's already undergone surgery and is stable for now. But we can't know for certain whether or not he will make it, so now we simple wait and hope he heals and eventually wakes." There was a clipboard in the doctor's hand, clamping onto papers that he was now looking at. "We've found no records on him except for a license found on his person. But as he was being rushed into the ER, half conscious, he muttered incoherently. But we did make out the name Alex Kage, it was repeated several times by him before he finally lost full consciousness. I remembered the name from a file we have on you back when you came here for the cut on your forearm some time ago."

"Yeah..." Alex nodded, understanding him.

"As I said, Mr. Kage. We can only wait for now and hope he doesn't get any worse. The internal injuries were too great to fully know if he is out of the blue." Again, Alex nodded in understanding. "Alright then, good day to you Mr. Kage. And... I'm sorry." The doctor then left, dropping the small room back into a silent abyss.

Aeris and Leo stood in the silence, Alex seemed to forget that they were there again and stood at his friend's side, his head hung down. Knowing he would want privacy, the two cats left the room and waited just outside, propping themselves against the wall to keep comfortable.

A long time passed, neither of them knew exactly how long however. Every few minutes were made to feel like hours due to the silence, the bleak nothingness of the hallway they were in didn't help. Only the occasional passing nurse or doctor distorted the solitude that surrounded them.

Alex never came out of the room. As time seemed to lose all meaning, the two cats re-entered the room, their hybrid friend hadn't moved a muscle. As no one said anything, they moved toward the foot of Jake's bed and paused briefly in respect.

"Alex..." Aeris said, not knowing if he was even listening to him. "It's getting late." She wasn't lying, the clock in the room showed clearly that day had been gone for a long time, and it would soon return in a few hours.

"Then go," Alex responded, his voice lacking any real emotion. But if it had, it would probably be a furious yell.

Aeris had no idea how to console him, she didn't even know if he wanted it. And Leo, the gray feline had remained in stark silence himself, it was unlike him.

With nothing to be said or done, they quietly left the hybrid alone with his friend and headed for the apartment.

* * *

><p>There was little joy to be had in the apartment.<p>

Alex was still gone, never returning to their home from the night before.

All of the happiness around the two felines seemed to be gone. Even the world outside was a gloomy mess, the blue sky being suffocated by gray clouds, blocking out any rays of sunlight. Leo himself stayed in a mopy attitude himself, even as Kerissa called the apartment to talk, he told her it wasn't a good time and hung up.

Aeris had thought about going back to the hospital, checking up on Jake and Alex. The idea was quickly pushed aside though, not out of any hardheartedness on her part, but wanting to give the fox-hybrid his space. Both cats barely knew Jake in the first place, their presence would surely be of poor quality. It was also obvious that Alex would want time alone.

The next day was met with the same enthusiasm as the last. Little was done, the two cats merely sat on the couch and watched time tick by, second after second. Not a thought to go to the hospital came to them, Alex was an adult after all, it was his decision to stay.

But as the third day of the hybrid's absence passed, Aeris began to worry.

"Is he still down there?" Leo said offhandedly, noticing Alex's lack of appearance himself. Aeris looked at her friend in shock for a moment before her eyes glared down at him, astonished that he would say such a thing.

"Of course," she scolded, her tone rising with every word, "it's his best friend Leo! Not even that, they're almost like family to one another. What would you do if I was lying in some hospital bed with a chance that I might die?"

Leo's ears dropped as he looked down, wanting to stare at his feet rather then look up at his friend.

"I... I wouldn't leave your side," he replied after a long pause.

Aeris was still heated at the gray cat, but she calmed herself with a shaky sigh.

"Yes well... I'm sure Alex is planning the same now. He's had enough time to be alone, he needs to come back before he hurts himself." Aeris grabbed her coat and threw Leo his. "Come on, we need to go."

* * *

><p>The hospital wasn't changed since their last visit, the same dreariness that seeped from the very walls was around them.<p>

As the cats walked down the hall toward Jake's room, they noticed a nurse leaving the very room with a disgruntled look about her.

"Oh, it's you," she said as Aeris and Leo were in her sights, "I remember you two were here the other day, with that... half-breed."

"Is he still in there?" Aeris asked, trying to keep her tone even, unable to prevent her eyes from narrowing at the nurse however.

"Yes," the nurse replied, becoming annoyed by something. "He hasn't left since he got there. Hasn't slept or eaten a thing, not even a word out of him, though _that_ I don't mind. You two just need to get him out of here, I don't feel like having a bed go to waste for when he finally collapses." The nurse then walked off, leaving with a huff of expectation of the two cats.

Doing her best to ignore the nurse, Aeris and Leo entered the room.

Like the hospital, nothing seemed to have changed about the room. The only thing coming close was Alex's position. No longer at the bed, the hybrid sat in the farthest corner of the room, coincidentally being the darkest as well.

Alex didn't react to their appearance, unmoving in his silent vigil. Someone could easily mistake him for being dead if it wasn't for the subtle rise and fall of his chest as he breathed.

Deep lines were etched underneath his eyes, showing up even above the fur, clear signs of what the sleep deprivation was doing to him.

All ideas as to what to say to him had flown out the window as soon as the two cats entered the room. A nostalgic silence grew in the room, only the beeping of Jake's heart monitor gave off sound. But another sound soon acompanied it, the two cats looked to see Alex heaving a dreary sigh.

"Jake was always a good friend," Alex said, seemingly out of nowhere, his eyes never looking up at the two newcomers. "He was annoying at times, vulgar in situations that never called for it, and his behavior towards women has gotten us into trouble on more then one occasion. But... he was always there for me, he never shied away when I needed him and went above and beyond what was expected of him. No matter how bad the circumstances were for him, he never allowed it to change who he was... which is more then I can say for myself... He's even saved me from more things then I care to mention... Jake... you were just as much a brother to me as Max was..." Alex's head lifted up, eying Aeris with a pitiable look. "I... I don't think I've ever told him that."

Aeris approached the hybrid, looking down on him with a simple smile.

"I think he always knew." The words registered to the hybrid well, his head turning to Jake's bed and looking at his friend once again. "Jake's going to be fine," she reassured him. "He wouldn't want you withering away at his bedside like this. You need to come home."

For a moment, Alex continued to stare at his friend. But he soon looked back to the pink cat before him, a weak smile appearing across his muzzle.

"Is that... an order?" It took a second for Aeris to realize what he had said, her own smile growing much larger now.

"Yes, yes it is."

With a nod, Alex stood up from his seat, audible cracks coming off of his underused joints. The hybrid took one more look at his friend before following the two cats out of the hospital.

* * *

><p>That night went by much better then the previous few.<p>

With Alex back, the two cats had no worries to keep them tossing and turning in their sleep.

It was why a certain pink cat became increasingly infuriated as she awoke from her slumber, finding no real reason for it. But she soon noticed how dry her throat was and got out of bed in search for a glass of water.

A sensation of surprise crossed her as she entered the kitchen to realize she wasn't alone. Alex's outline could be seen, slumped over the kitchen table. It took the feline a few moments to notice his lack of movement and the steady sound of breathing for her to realize he was asleep.

On closer inspection, she could see that the table was littered with plates. Nearly covering the entirety of the wooden table, the plates were either covered in small crumbs or scraps of food. Alex's head rested on one plate that was set before him, a half-eaten meal lying where he had left it, having passed out before he finished. The nearby counter was also filled with empty containers, previously being used to store leftovers.

Aeris looked inside of the fridge to see it had been cleaned out. Almost every piece of food was gone, save for a few items that couldn't be eaten uncooked. The hybrid had apparently devoured everything cold, avoiding using the stove or microwave to not disturb the sleeping cats.

"Great," Aeris muttered sarcastically, "grocery shopping is _exactly _what I wanted to do tomorrow." But she couldn't bring herself to be upset with the crossbreed. It was understandable, three days of no food or sleep would take a toll on even the most fit person, and she knew carnivores weren't exactly known for their small stomach capacity.

With light steps, Aeris put the dishes away, only leaving behind the plate that Alex's head rested on. The hybrid hadn't stirred as Aeris made the kitchen slightly more clean. She couldn't help herself as she placed a hand gently on his back, feeling the muscle stretch and then deflate with every breathe.

But a yawn soon reminded her what she had come into the kitchen for. So quickly filling a glass of water, Aeris took several sips of it as she returned to her room.

Her leaving left her unaware of Alex beginning to stir in his sleep, his face twitching in pained torment.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Jake! Nooooo! (sob) Okay, (sniff) I'm better... **

**So yeah, not a fun chapter. And once again, _a lot_ of people are assholes... I dunno, maybe it's just a coincidence or something... **


	30. Like Stalking, But With Purpose

**Chapter 30: Like Stalking, But With Purpose**

Though the hybrid had returned to the apartment, it was impossible to say his mood had improved.

Alex had become seclusive, avoiding the his two feline roommates at random times. It reminded them of his first few days they knew each other, a constant sense of reluctance and uneasiness. An on edge demeanor continuously shadowing him.

Nearly everyday the hybrid left the apartment to visit Jake, his departure lasting several hours before he would return. Aeris caught on to how his absence took much longer then it should have, even if he took a long time alone with his friend, there was no reason a trip to the hospital and back would take as long as it was.

Another change was Alex's affinity for chewing gum. Every time they were near him they could hear the squishing sound of wet gum being gnawed on. The trashcan was filled to bursting as he used up gum like they were cigarettes.

Aeris could barely bring herself to force him to do anything, knowing how difficult of a time he was having. But she felt a bad itch that something was amiss, more then she really knew, it only became worse as Alex's shifting behavior progressed.

* * *

><p>"I just don't know," Leo muttered, staring down at the tablecloth that adorned his chosen seat.<p>

Kerissa sat in front of him, accompanying the gray cat on their latest date. Leo felt like he should make it up to her, somewhat ignoring her for the past few days as they dealt with what happened to Jake. Still though, all it turned out to be was the feline's distracted thoughts being poured out for his girlfriend to hear.

"Aeris just seems confused all the time," he continued, propping up his head with a hand. "She looks to want to help Alex or something, I don't know. Maybe she thinks she can make him happy with the snap of her fingers, and since she fails at doing that it just makes her as depressed as he is." Leo rubbed his eyes, unable to take his fixed gaze from the table's surface. "And Alex... it's like he doesn't even know what to do anymore. I always looked at him as someone who was in constant control of the things around him. Now, he just looks so helpless."

Kerissa listened well to what Leo was saying, taking in every word with an interest the feline didn't see.

But Leo did remember when he first told her about what had happened. Seeing Jake's unconscious form lying on the bed, how Alex basically shut down the moment the realization hit him. It came as a shock to her, hearing how Jake survived such a horrific crash. Though she didn't appear that saddened by it, Leo understood the reasoning, having never met Jake before. The husky was at least sympathetic.

"It's a big thing to him," Kerissa said, absentmindedly stirring the ice in her drink around with a straw. "If what I hear is correct, he doesn't seem to have had much emotional contact with people ever since his family had gone. If Jake was really so important to him, it would certainly rattle a cage that hasn't done anything but rust over the years." Leo slowly nodded, beginning to understand what she was getting at. "And it sounds like all Aeris wants is to see him happy again... it's kind of sweet really."

"Hm," Leo huffed. "I just hope Jake gets better soon. Or at least that Aeris can find some way to help Alex."

* * *

><p>As it turned out, Aeris did have an idea to lighten the mood of the apartment.<p>

It came as a surprise to both Leo and Alex as she laid out her plan. They were to have a picnic.

"A picnic?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow at the idea.

"Mmhm," Aeris nodded. "A little time out of the apartment will do us all some good, and the weather is actually nice out so today is the perfect time."

"I'd rather not." Aeris crossed her arms stubbornly as her eyes narrowed.

"You don't have a choice in the matter." Another look of surprise crossed the hybrid as she forced her hand on him. "The same goes for you too Leo."

"Alright," Leo submitted. Though not bound by any deal like his crossbred friend, Leo knew when Aeris had a leash on him.

They went to the nearby park for their picnic. Though neither males really wanted to come, Leo was at least happy that he was able to get Kerissa to come along. Aeris had brought enough food for them all.

The pink feline had gotten simple foods for them to eat on, sitting at the old tables that were set up around the park. Ingredients for sandwiches, chips, store-bought potato salad and coleslaw, the works.

"Well this is nice," Kerissa said with a cheerful smile. It wasn't just the food that was enjoyed. The park made for the most beautiful of scenery, a cool wind passing through and rustling the leaves of the trees that surrounded them, as well as the happy laughter of children playing in the pint-sized jungle gyms.

It all appeared lost on the hybrid however, his eyes didn't seem to notice the area around him. His gaze was fixed on something much further away, spanning out to a large hill that was situated just on the outskirts of the city, a large structure built atop it.

"That's the old Edelstein manor," Aeris said, following Alex's sights toward the immense building. It was an aged, Gothic style piece of architecture, three stories high. Even from their distance, they could see obvious signs of wear on the dilapidated manor. "Used to be owned by a rich family twenty or so years ago."

"What happened to it?" Alex asked, his eyes still locked on the far off manor.

"Father went crazy and killed everyone inside, threw himself in the fireplace right after. No one's taken over the house. People think it's haunted." A slight huff of amusement escaped Alex then, a smirk appearing for a moment.

"We went in there once," Leo added. Swallowing the last piece of his third sandwich.

"Yeah, three years back. Didn't find anything worthwhile, inside is just as bad as the out. Though, I have heard that some guy was looking at it sometime ago, maybe it'll get fixed up."

Alex's interest in the manor soon disappeared. His gaze lowered down to the sandwich in front of him, only a few bites taken out of it. The hybrid wasn't feeling particularly hungry.

"Well..." Alex muttered with a sigh. "Thanks for the effort Aeris... but I'm not really in the mood for anything right now." The other three watched as he stood up from the table, their own moods draining as well. "I'm going to go see how Jake is doing, I'll meet you guys back home... Nice seeing you too Kerissa." Shoving his hands in his pockets, Alex walked off, taking long strides to make distance from his companions.

"Alex, wait," Aeris called after him, too late as the hybrid was already gone. With her own sigh, she slumped down in her seat. Both Leo and Kerissa lowered their heads down at the table, Alex's depressed attitude becoming infectious.

* * *

><p>The following day, Aeris decided to quit playing lightly when it came to her hybrid roommate. No matter the circumstance, she was certain that there was something else bothering Alex. Not just Jake's incident, but something that neither her or Leo knew about. What it had to do with anything they already knew about him was beyond her, but she was positive that <em>something<em> was there. And she was determined to find out.

Predictably, Alex left the apartment. Not saying specifically why, but showing his want for seclusion. Aeris watched as they hybrid threw on his coat and walked out of the apartment. She lingered for several moments before stepping toward the door herself.

Of course, a protest from Leo sounded. The gray feline knew what his friend was planning and thought better of it. Aeris ignored him, as she usually did.

Alex was already down a floor as he traversed the large stairwell, preferring the physical walk rather then standing idle in an elevator. Making to the lobby and out the front doors, they hybrid was none the wiser to the pink pursuer who was right on his tail.

Aeris kept her distance, hiding behind alleys and the doorways of different buildings as she followed the crossbreed. Though there was no certainty as to what she was looking for, she at least wanted to see if she could figure out what was tearing at Alex. During his trip however, there wasn't much to watch.

All Alex really did was walk to an unknown destination. From her distance, Aeris could hear subtle sounds of him mumbling to himself, but she couldn't make out any discernible words.

Over an hour passed by with nothing changing in his step. Though there was one scare Aeris felt as the hybrid suddenly turned around, the pink cat hardly able to hide herself in time to avoid being spotted. After a moment of staring at the secluded sidewalk, Alex continued his trek. Besides that however, nothing new occurred. That was until he stopped and entered a small store set in the less dense part of the city.

With her trusty watch, Aeris counted the fifteen minutes of waiting she had to do before Alex exited the store, a small rectangular object in hand. Passing by the store herself, Aeris noticed it was an old bookstore. She then caught sight of Alex opening the rectangle and flipping through its white pages.

* * *

><p>Alex turned the pages back and forth, briefly looking at a few words before turning his watchful gaze on a different paragraph.<p>

The book was only slightly bigger then his hand, bound in a foe-leather cover with two words printed on the front in gold lettering, Holy Bible.

He had been surprised that the bookstore even sold them, but now he had one, a manifestation of many of the torments in his life.

It was a small expense for what little entertainment it would provide. All Alex hoped for was that the small work of fiction would offer a sense of humor he hadn't allowed himself for sometime. Flipping through the different pages, reading excerpts as they fell under his eyes, a smirk crept onto his muzzle.

"What nonsense," he muttered, tearing out one of the pages and throwing it to the ground after crumpling it in his fist. Though he couldn't tell if it was ironic that he already knew much of the book by heart, something he studied when the concept first entered his comprehensive mind.

All in all, he hated every form of religious faith. But it was those who followed the particular book he held in his hands that he loathed most of all, due to the personal troubles it had brought him throughout his life. Maybe it was why he found such amusement from their made up fairy tales, his way of spitting in their faces. He would rather not think of it as a mask to hide his rage toward them.

Alex kept his nose in the book, his legs still propelling him forward to where he was headed. It was a path he had taken many times, especially in recent times. But his gaze looked up from the pages of falsehoods as the scenery around him took on a much darker state.

The buildings around him shifted from a traditional city landscape to an environment of decay. Walls of stone slowly cracked and crumbled around him, dilapidated structures surrounded him, trash littered the alleyways and the constant sound of a dog barking filled the air. It was certainly a bad part of the city. Besides looks, there were other differences that this section had compared to the rest of the city. Most notable was the increase in the likelihood you would be mugged at knife point.

But Alex wasn't intimidated in the slightest. In fact, he felt downright nostalgic. He remembered the time he spent living in such an area. Homeless and alone in the world, he became just the sort of person that's typically associated in such areas. Things were simple for him back then too, with the menial goal of survival, he didn't look too deeply into anything else. Then he became more aware of the depth of the world around him, leaving his newly established 'life' and heading to the Big Apple, only to return and set in motion the events that led up to his current station.

Sighing fondly, Alex returned to his reading. Inevitably, he landed on the page that began describing crossbreeds, how people should act and react. Words that followed suit with so many other doctrines.

Alex's brow furrowed as his eyes intensified. Knowing his glare wouldn't burst the book into flames, the hybrid brought a claw down onto the page and cut into it, the pattern forming a name which he knew all too well. Finished, Alex turned toward an alley and threw the book as hard as he could.

Rather then hearing a thud as the book struck the pavement, there was a splash, undoubtedly from it falling into a puddle of filthy water. It brought a satisfied look to the hybrid before he returned to his path.

* * *

><p>Watching as Alex threw the book down the alley, Aeris waited for the crossbreed to move further down the sidewalk before ducking into the alley herself.<p>

It took a short run further down for her to come across where it had landed.

Picking up the Bible, Aeris noticed how soaked it was. Nearly every page was dripping wet, the ink smearing horribly. Turning a few pages, she could see where pages had been crudely torn out. Zero respect was shown to the book, but it was understandable, Aeris herself couldn't find much respect for it either.

With a bit of difficulty, Aeris found the last place Alex was. The page was ripped badly, but there was a pattern to it, forming letters that made up a name. Cut several pages down, the name 'Elijah' showed in tatters of paper.

With her focus placed on the book and the strange name torn within, Aeris nearly fell over as she remembered she was following someone. But the pink cat didn't need to hurry to catch up with her target, Alex didn't go very far before turning into another store.

Slowly approaching it, Aeris looked at the peculiar store. Compared to its surroundings, the store was quite nice. The outside was reasonably clean and it looked like a respectable establishment. Her expectations of the store quickly dropped however as she looked at the sign hanging just above the door, 'Ye Olde Comic Bookerys.'

Aeris knew of the store, and the man who ran it. Johnny Evilguy, a man who was as strange as he was sickening. Aeris only knew him because Pantsman had him in a few comics, she wasn't even sure how _he_ knew the guy. The last she heard of him was that he opened up a comic shop somewhere in the city, though she never went herself, Leo had and said it had what he expected, except for an odd smell that he couldn't place.

Peering through the front window, Aeris saw Alex standing at the front counter. A human dressed in a black hooded robe stood on the other side, only his mouth and the fluff of facial hair that clung to the tip of his chin could be seen, the hood shrouding the rest of his face.

Though she couldn't hear what was going on inside, Aeris could see Johnny and Alex talking about something. Johnny looked to be bringing up a topic while Alex became abrasive about it, repeatedly shaking his head in a dismissive manner. Eventually nodding himself, Johnny handed a small item to Alex, who handed money to the man before exiting the store.

Aeris watched Alex return to the sidewalk and follow the path further away. Rather then continue following him, the feline headed into the store, certain she could find answers within.

The inside of the shop was what one would expect. Comics filled the racks that lined the floors, other memorabilia of different comic book characters filled shelves that hung on the walls. A glass counter was against the center wall near the door, filled with several different brands of trading cards and action figures. Behind the counter was Johnny Evilguy, whose gaze was turned toward the door at the new customer.

"Aeris?" he said, a hint of surprise in his voice. "It's been a while. What can I do for you today?"

"That guy who was just here," Aeris said, approaching the counter and giving the man a stern look. "How do you know him?"

"The hybrid? Uh... can't say I've ever seen him before today." The feline had known Johnny for a few years, one thing she had come to realize since then was that he was a _really_ bad liar.

"Don't you dare lie to me," Aeris growled, pointing a warning finger toward him. Johnny noticeably gulped, trying to swallow a lump in his throat, even beads of sweat could be seen forming on his visible cheeks.

"W-well okay, he has been here a few times before. But nothing special... he's just a normal customer."

Her patience having been quickly depleted, Aeris reached over the counter and grabbed onto the man's robe, yanking him across the counter toward her and bringing them face to face.

"Talk!" she snarled, putting as much ferocity into her tone as she could.

"O-okay okay! He first came here a bit over a year ago, just asked simple questions about the area and and then he left. Since then, he sometimes comes by to buy some chewing gum I sell." He nodded toward a rack of different sweets, sure enough, the brand that Alex always had was among them. "It wasn't until not too long ago that he came here to buy something a little different... a little more expensive..."

"What was it!"

"I-I can't tell you. Confidential information and all that. If h-he were to find out then-"

"You better tell me _now_ or I swear I'll make you regret it!"

"Oh lord! O-o-okay, just please let me go!" Aeris complied. But after doing so, she shot him the most dangerous look she had ever given to someone, Johnny cringed at the unimaginable horrors that such a look promised if he dared to upset her again. After several deep breaths, Johnny calmed his nerves and looked at Aeris. "Well... I uh... You aren't with the cops are you?"

Aeris crossed her arms and gave him a flat look.

"Thought not. Well, comics aren't all I sell here. Oftentimes I get the occasional job to help a... less morally correct person with a task that's a little on the..."

"Illegal side?"

"If you want to label it so negatively. Anyway, the guy learned about what I can do and came by to ask me to forge several documents for him. He said he was going down to the states, New York I think, so I hooked him up with he right paperwork that would get him there."

"Exactly what did you give him?" Aeris asked, her furious demeanor shifting to one of confusion and interest.

"Identification card, passport, the works. Guy didn't seem like the type who would need such secrecy, but I don't ask questions. He even paid top dollar for it all too." Aeris stared at the man for a long time, bewildered at what she had heard. "Look, that's all I can tell you, I swear." Aeris slowly nodded, not saying a word as she left the store.

It was all confusing to her. One question made itself obvious to her though. Why would Alex need to get fake papers to go to his home country? She remembered having his wallet the time he showed her the pictures of his family, no means of identification existed there either, she had just assumed he kept it somewhere else on his person. But now, she didn't know what to think.

There was no doubting that the hybrid was capable of keeping secrets. He was perfectly fine with hiding the fact he was crossbred until he was forced to reveal himself. What else was he hiding? There was one question she couldn't help but ask herself. Was any of it her business to know?

She knew for a fact that Alex didn't know every detail about their own lives, maybe they weren't as big as his own but they were still secrets. Should she really jump to quick conclusions and meddle in affairs that aren't her own? So many questions began rushing around in her mind as she headed home. There was no way she would be able to find Alex, and she needed to make sure she was back at the apartment before he was.

Her mind still plagued with confusion and inquiries, Aeris didn't notice the other figure on the sidewalk just a few feet away. It wasn't until she heard a voice ahead of her did eyes focus on the man.

"What isn't seen by any is the greatest of mysteries. Such is why we wear our masks to hide away from those who will see. Secrets and lies build layers upon such masks, until you soon begin to believe your own false tales." Aeris stopped as she approached the man. He was standing on the sidewalk, facing out to the road as though there was a large audience before him. As he stood still, his hands turned and spun about in a fluid motion as he juggled. It took only a few moments for the pink cat to see what he was juggling, knives, their metallic edges gleaming as they were thrown up into the air and again caught, only to be tossed once more.

"What does that mean?" Aeris asked, not making heads or tails of the riddle or whatever the man had said.

"Heh, well, the greatest of words have no explainable meaning," the man said, turning to face her, not missing a step in his juggling act. "It's all about how the individual interprets it."

Facing her, Aeris saw the man and what he was. He was a fox, his spiky cheeks and bushy tail being dead giveaways. Even though she couldn't see his ears, the hood on the sweatshirt he wore being pulled over his head, obscuring much of his face. But Aeris could see the lack of any orange in his fur, it was all purely white, like a fresh snowfall.

Looking down, Aeris also noticed a small tin placed at the fox's feet, it was however empty.

"Are you some kind of street performer?" Aeris asked.

"Yes," he answered with a smile. "I'm a bit of an entertainer really, whether it's myself or other people, I can always have fun."

"Seems like a poor place to do it. Maybe a park would be better, more people to see you and give money." The fox chuckled at that.

"Perhaps, but I believe that the least likely of places hold the better opportunities." The fox then bent his waist down slightly in a small bow. The action looking quite difficult as he continued to juggle the sharp knives, but he pulled it off flawlessly. "The name's Joey."

"Aeris," the feline returned. Though Joey seemed kind enough, something about him seemed familiar to her, she just couldn't place what.

"Tell me, what has you down Aeris? Problems at home? With family, maybe a friend?" It surprised her for a moment, having the fox read her easily. But she shrugged it off, assuming her troubling thoughts were written on her face.

"Sort of. I'm just having a hard time with a friend lately. I can't even tell if what he says is actually believable anymore."

"Hm," Joey muttered, thinking deeply on something. "Well, it's no surprise to think that people hold secrets from one another. Such is the world we live in. Many people can be considered experts on lying, able to weave such stories that play on the trusting nature of the people they are speaking to. Perhaps it is best not to trust those around you, or maybe you don't want to believe people behave in such a way, it's all a matter of faith really."

Aeris thought about what Joey was saying. For a street performer, he seemed quite knowledgeable. Gaining a smile, Aeris reached into her pocket and found the small amount of change she had. They clinked together in her hand before she deposited them into the tin on the ground.

"Ah-ha," Joey said with a joyous breath. "See? Opportunities can occur in any possible place. It's just a matter of the right place and time."

"Well, just try not to stab yourself." Aeris then walked away, following the sidewalk with a better mood then before.

"I never do," Joey called out to her. Then the fox quickly returned to his riddled words, speaking to anyone who was around to listen. "To collar a monster is to domesticate a beast. Dressing up unpleasentries to make them bearable to those around them, to shy away from that which they truly are. But soon, that collar will tighten, it's grip unyielding. Only until the collar is off will the true nature be shown. Heaven help those caught in the wake of such realization."

* * *

><p>Aeris soon returned to the apartment, heaving a breath of relief as she noticed Alex had not.<p>

Leo, pausing his latest game and looking toward his pink friend, had an expression of curiosity etched onto his face.

"Sooooo?" the gray cat said, still staring at her with an expectant look. "Did you find out anything about Alex?"

Pausing for a moment, Aeris reran through her mind what she had learned at the comic shop. Even she couldn't say she fully understood it, how could she expect Leo to?

"No," she then stated, "I didn't find anything." Unlike Johnny Evilguy, Aeris _was_ a good liar. But the action made her question something. Was someone else the apartment also one?

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Oh God, thirty chapters. Count em, thirty. That's a lot.**

**I never even thought that this would go so far as it has. Maybe twenty or so, but damn thirty seems gargantuan.**

**And though reviews have been a bit lacking tally (cough) Actual views have been going swimmingly so I can't complain. Speaking of views, you know how cool it is to see exactly where some of those views are coming from? I mean, most of them come from here in the US, but there are a few people in other further away countries that have looked at my stuff. (You know who you are) I don't know, just the thought of how somewhere on the other side of the world, that there's someone looking at something I wrote, gives me a warm and fuzzy feeling inside...**

**Anyway, there are still chapters to go. This story isn't over yet. Tallyho!**


	31. F is for Friendship

**Chapter 31: F is for Friendship**

Leo sat quietly on the living room couch, watching TV while Kerissa rested her head against him, joining in his silent viewing. Aeris sat on the far end, reading silently.

"So where's Alex?" Kerissa asked, having not seen the hybrid all day.

"The gym I think," Aeris grumbled, her sour mood was evident. She could remember seeing Alex leaving the apartment in his white tank-top, only wearing it when he went to the gym. As she thought about it though, she realized she didn't really care.

Aeris had tried talking with Alex before, an attempt to find out whats what with the new information she had found out about him. But as usual, the hybrid was dismissive with her. Now, Aeris wanted nothing to do with him. If her roommate wanted to become a mope for the rest of his life, so be it.

"You don't have to sound so upset," the husky remarked.

"Don't you tell me how to act," Aeris snapped, lowering her book and glaring at the canine. She was in a foul mood already, she wasn't going to take anything from anyone right now.

"Hey," Leo said, sensing the growing hostility, "don't get angry with her. She just asked a question."

"Don't even start with me Leo," Aeris growled, now turning on him. "I am _not_ in the mood."

"None of us are 'in the mood'!" Leo shot back. "That doesn't mean you should act like such a bitch!" The pink cat was momentarily surprised at his sudden outburst, but the reaction was quickly overtaken by her usual rage.

It seemed like a full on war was about to take place in the apartment. Kerissa could see the impending destruction. She could also see the cause of it.

"Sorry Leo," Kerissa said, speaking up in an attempt to draw away from the growing tension, "but I think I'm going to go for now. I have some things I need to take care of anyway, I'll call you when I can."

Leo was about to protest as she got up, but a quick kiss stopped him with ease. Leaving the apartment however, she could hear their rising voices start up again.

"See what you did?" Leo shouted angrily.

"Oh, I swear Leo. You better keep your mouth shut if you know what's good for you!"

* * *

><p>The loud echo of Alex's fists pounding against the punching bag before him sounded across the empty gym. Being the sole attendant in the gym brought more ease to the hybrid's mind, preferring the seclusion more in his current mood.<p>

It left him without a real source of exertion however. Never being one for regular equipment, Alex would rather have a partner to go against. He made due with the bag however, repeatedly jabbing at it with all of his strength.

Drops of sweat fell from his face and onto the floor around him. It almost pooled at his feet with his prolonged workout and stationary position. But how tired he was becoming wasn't what was on his mind.

Though his attitude drastically shifted ever since he found out about Jake, he couldn't fool himself into thinking that it was the only thing that was bothering him.

An impossible to understand confusion had hit him. He didn't know when it started, nor what it was. What hurt him the most was the isolation it was giving him. There was no way he could explain it to his feline roommates, they wouldn't know what he was trying to tell them, they wouldn't understand. Only one person could help the hybrid to figure out what was happening, and he was lying helpless in a hospital bed.

"Agh, dammit," Alex growled, his last punch becoming a weak tap against the bag but sending a tremor of pain up his tired arm.. The suspended cushion made no reaction to the feeble blow..

Beginning to notice his own heavy breathing, Alex walked over to a nearby water fountain to get a drink and rest himself. Feeling the moisture on his hands, Alex looked down at his sweaty palms. He wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, or his own head, but as he looked down at the droplets of sweat on his hands, he could have sworn that they looked red. Shaking his head, Alex looked at his hands again, seeing the transparent consistency the liquid should be.

After another shake of his head, Alex bent his neck and turned on the fountain. A steady stream of water sprayed out of the faucet and arced back down into the drain. Taking several long sips of the water, the hybrid soon lifted his head back up and gasped for air.

With the sound of the running water and his own heavy breathing, the hybrid nearly jumped at his spot as he noticed someone was behind him. Wiping around, Alex was surprised to see Kerissa standing there, her arms crossed as she stared at him.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, wondering both why she was there and how she knew he was.

"We need to talk," she answered, her eyes still locked on him. But Alex's surprise quickly drained away and he simply turned away from her and back to the fountain.

"Not now." The hybrid wasn't in the mood for any kind of conversation.

But Alex's drinking was stopped as he felt a presence next to him. Knowing who it was but not why they were there forced him to leave his drinking position to question them. Alex lifted his head up from the fountain, meeting a resistance before he could gain a few inches away from his previous position.

A hand was on the back of his head, gripping the flesh and hairs with such a tight hold that the hybrid was certain that skin was being broken. He didn't have any time to react to the hold however as his head was slammed down onto the fountain, nearly breaking it.

"Ah," Alex yelled, yanking his head up as the hand released him. His head throbbing, the hybrid clutched at the sore spot. The blow was right on the spot of his still damaged brow, making the pain all the more unbearable.

With his gaze now set on his attacker, Alex saw Kerissa still standing there. A look of furious hatred enveloped the husky's face. He had never seen anything like it from her before, gone was her usual happy demeanor.

"What the hell are you doing!" Alex spat, his head swimming, disoriented from the sudden attack.

"Waking you up," Kerissa growled. The hybrid wasn't allowed another moment to do anything else as the black and white canine brought a leg up and kicked him square in the chest. The force of it sent Alex backward and crashing into the wall behind him.

With his head in a daze, Alex still couldn't defend himself as Kerissa grabbed his shoulders and shoved him further down the wall. He didn't make it far, his knee smashing into a bench and causing him to collapse onto the seat.

Kerissa's attack ceased now, giving Alex the opportunity to sit up and catch his breath. The pause didn't give him much comfort however as he could only groan in pain while his body ached.

The husky stood before him, looking down on him with the same seething glare as before, it almost brought a laugh to the hybrid at how comparable it could be to a certain pink feline.

"I'm getting sick of your attitude," she stated clearly.

"What?" Alex asked, his astonishment being overpowered by his still hurting form.

"Ever since you found out about Jake, you've been nothing but a self-loathing ass. I understand that you must feel horrible about this, but you have to _get over it!_" The crossbreed's eyes narrowed at her accusation.

"Understand?" Alex parroted, the word being followed by a rumbling growl of anger. "You couldn't understand a damn thing about me!" Though she was his friend's girlfriend, the hybrid wasn't about to take grief from someone who didn't know what they were talking about.

"Oh don't give me that!" she shot back. "Honestly, I don't care what inner turmoil you want to shove into yourself, but don't you dare turn a blind eye to what you're doing to those around you, what you're doing to your friends. Leo's your friend too and yet you completely ignore his existence. And I might not know what the hell is going on between you and Aeris, but at least she cares. Yet you just snub her every time she tries to help. You might think you're just keeping your problems to yourself, but that isn't the case anymore. Now your friends are becoming just as emotionally wrecked as you. Do you not see how badly you're hurting them both? Or are you really just that selfish?"

Alex's gaze dropped down to the floor, he couldn't bear to look at the accusing glare of the husky in front of him. She was right. Alex could see exactly what was going on in the apartment now. His friends' moods dropping along with his own, he just didn't want to believe it.

"Look Alex," Kerissa continued, "things are hard all over. You need to remember that there _are_ people here who only want to see you happy. From what Leo's told me, such a concept may be new to you, but it's true. And though neither me or Aeris could know what's bothering you completely, Leo might. After all, you aren't the only one to suffer such loss." Alex's ears perked up at that. The memory of hearing about Leo's father striking his mind with a shuddering force. All he could now think of was how he had been acting in such a situation. Even in front of someone who had been through something similar. Maybe he really was selfish.

"Kerissa..." Alex muttered, finally looking at the husky, "I'm sorry."

"It's not me you need to apologize to." Kerissa's anger had completely disappeared by now.

Slowly, Alex stood up, his body still feeling small jolts of pain. An odd sense of clarity befell him. Maybe it was the savage beating he had just received, or maybe the scolding laid in front of him, but something he heard made him realize something. Even if he didn't like it, things in his life were changing.

Two cats now stood near his side and were ready to call themselves his friends Despite that so called friendship, he seemed to only be able to treat them horribly, yet more of his past catching up with him.

Now he knew he had to make things right.

"Thanks," the hybrid said to the husky still in front of him, though he wasn't fully sure of what exactly he was thanking her for.

Giving him a slight smile, Kerissa stepped aside and nodded toward the exit. With his own nod, he joined her as they left the gym.

"Where did you learn to get so mean?" Alex asked as they left. A small giggled escaped the canine as she smiled at him.

"You lived in an American city too," she answered. "A girl needs to know how to defend herself."

They stopped at the crossroad between the exit of the complex and the elevator that led to Alex's own home.

"I'll be going for now," Kerissa said, turning toward Alex one last time. "I don't want to see you so down anymore. You got that?"

"I got it," Alex replied, nodding his head. After a quick goodbye between them, the hybrid went into the elevator and went up to his home.

He needed to speak his apologies to his friends. He wanted to in fact. But he didn't know how to just yet. And he knew the moment wasn't right for such a thing. So after reaching his apartment, Alex simply took a shower to wash sweat covered body and went to his room for the night, making sure to be well rested before his apology tomorrow.

* * *

><p>The morning came and the two cats of the apartment stepped from their rooms.<p>

To say their moods had gotten better would be an outright lie. Both Aeris and Leo were agitated with one another. But their heated looks to each other were stopped after the third resident of the apartment stepped from his room.

Leo's stone cut gaze from the TV looked toward the hybrid, as did Aeris' from her book.

Alex looked at them both, glad that they had stayed in the living room, it made his explanation all the easier for him. With a quick motion before he began, Alex turned to shut off the television so the noise wouldn't bother him. The electrical box was stuck on the weather channel, the weatherman going on and on about a large thunderstorm that would be in the area in a few days. It could easily be said that it went through one ear and out the other with the hybrid.

"Aeris, Leo," Alex said, pausing slightly as he figured out what he was saying. "I... I know I've been difficult with both of you over the last few days. I just want to say that I am sorry for how I've acted. You've both been such good friends to me, and I know all either of you have ever wanted to do was help me with this. Perhaps... I just never thought to find myself in this mess. But that still doesn't excuse me. I guess I've never been the most optimistic of people. And I know Jake would be kicking my ass up and down the street if he ever learned how little faith I've given him. He's gone through much worse easily. And I _know_ he will get through this and be back to his old self in no time... Just... thank you both for everything."

Aeris and Leo both looked at one another. After a moment of staring at each other, a soft smile crossed them and they looked at Alex happily.

"It's okay," Leo said, quickly regaining his usual cheery attitude.

"We understand that this might be difficult for you," Aeris added.

Without another word, Leo and Aeris stood up and gave their hybrid friend a hug. Both felines were ecstatic to know that their friend was doing better.

Feeling a sense of happiness in the action himself, Alex was now determined to make sure he would never again do anything to hurt his friends.

"Sorry for how I acted yesterday too Leo," Aeris said, useing the moment to bring out her own apology to the gray feline.

"It's alright," Leo said, accepting the sentiment. "Hopefully Kerissa will be happy about this now too." That made the crossbreed remember something

"Oh, and Leo," the hybrid said, turning to the gray cat. "You've got a wonderful girlfriend who really cares for you, don't ever forget that." After a short pause, Alex thought of something. "And try not to get on her bad side."

* * *

><p>After the hybrid's apology had fully taken hold, all three friends having happily made up, a need for aimless adventure took hold.<p>

Leo was more then happy to join in on a good old fashioned goof-off, but Aeris chose not to come. The pink feline had actually gotten into the book she was reading out of frustration. Now that said frustration was gone, her interest in it peaked and she just couldn't put it down.

However, Leo wasn't too let down as he realized he and Alex hadn't spent much 'guy time' together as of late. Time alone for the two guys to hang out seemed like a welcoming notion.

So their trip through the Canadian streets was conquered by a familiar past-time of Leo talking on and on about one seemingly idiotic subject after another. This time around though, Alex found himself paying more attention to the feline's words then he usually did, finding that he had missed the insesent yammering.

But Leo's discussion on the evolution of the analog from the classic joystick was cut short as they came across a new place of food service.

'U-boatway' the sign said, written in an odd pattern of colors. Almost on que, both guys felt a rumble in their empty stomachs, so they went in. The inside of the shop was sparkling clean with a smell of pine-scented cleaning products.

At their first glance, it appeared to be an eatery that exclusively sold sandwiches. Though, in theory, the idea seemed ridiculous to have such a simple menu, they found that there was a large range of different ways one could make a sandwich.

It was ran by two men who spoke in thick German accents. Their service was excellent and the two friends each got a delicious looking sandwich made in no time. Both were however shocked to see the actual size of the sandwich, with toppings running along two slices of bun that ran at least eighteen inches.

After their orders were given and paid for, Leo and Alex left the shop to find a place to eat their meal. Although the place did in fact have booths for customers to eat, they found the worker's flamboyant attitudes a little overbearing.

There wasn't a park or any public place of rest for some time. But Alex found a good compromise as they came across a kid-size soccer field. The field of green grass and white chalk lines being treaded upon by the feet of little tykes as they played a friendly game against one another. Though a place to actually sit wasn't around, except for the grass, Alex pointed to a tall oak that stood on the sidelines of the field.

Leaves rustled against one another as the wind pushed against their green bodies. The pleasant scene wasn't disturbed as the hybrid and cat stood underneath it. Leo was the first to scale the tall trunk of the tree, his natural feline instincts taking hold as he clawed his way up. After making it to the branches, Leo sat on the largest one he could find and lounged on it as he laid his back against the trunk itself.

Alex's attempts, unfortunately, simply added a comedic show for Leo as he watched the hybrid move up and then slide down on the trunk. Each attempt was met with him making it halfway, then his grip becoming lose and leading to his eventual fall.

"Half fox and half tiger," Leo said with a chuckle, sporting a large grin as Alex failed once again, "and yet you can't climb a tree."

"Shut up," Alex barked, grumbling to himself shortly afterward. After another attempt led to inevitable failure, the hybrid put the plastic bag holding his sandwich in his mouth and sat down on the grass. Taking only a few seconds, the crossbreed stripped of his shoes and socks, exposing his bare feet as well as the small black claws at the tips of his toes.

This time, Alex gripped his bark covered foe with his claws extended. With all four sets of claws, the hybrid was then able to make it up to the tree with Leo, sitting on a branch nearly parallel to his own.

"Bout time," Leo said with a full mouth, already eating his sandwich. Alex shot him a dirty look before unwrapping his own.

They ate in silence, enjoying the scenery around them while lazily sitting in the tree. Their gazes drifted toward the field where children were still going about their game. Quickly losing interest, they soon started looking at different branches and leaves, or staring at a random insect that was accompanying them.

Soon Leo was leaning against the tree trunk while Alex took his last bite and threw away the trash. They continued to stay silent, their gazes looking back at one another with the need of something to be said. It didn't take long for the peacefulness of it to turn awkward.

"Ya know Leo," Alex muttered, quickly turning serious, "as I said before, I truly am sorry for how I've acted. My attitude toward you and Aeris was unacceptable."

"It's alright," Leo said, absentmindedly scratching at the bark of the branch he sat on. "I understand how hard it can be... what with my dad and all... it's difficult to take in." Again Alex was brought on to think about Leo's own time of misfortune.

"What happened?" Alex asked, barely thinking about what he was saying. Though making sure not to putting any force into the question. He didn't want Leo to think he _had_ to answer it.

The gray cat paused at the question. As he thought on it, he couldn't ever remember a time when someone had actually ever asked for the specifics. Though he knew he wouldn't have answered it. Aeris didn't even know what happened, only that his father was gone and nothing more. Despite the many years that had passed, it wasn't something Leo liked to think about, much less openly discuss.

But as Leo continued to think, looking at the hybrid next to him, he thought of a similar situation where the roles were reversed. Alex had told them of his own tragedy, speaking of the demise of his family when it was brought up. If anyone was able to understand what such misfortune felt like, surely it would be Alex.

"Well..." Leo began, his ears dropping down as he recalled the old memories he wished to forget, "it happened a long time ago, I was just a kid at the time. Dad... well... he was attacked by someone one day out on the street. No one was exactly sure why, maybe for money. Though we weren't really that much higher up then middle-class, Dad liked to dress like he was. The attacker... he used a knife and attacked him. When he was found... he was barely recognizable..."

"I'm sorry," Alex said. Though he knew the sentiment didn't mean anything to the cat.

"It didn't end there though," Leo continued, beginning to stare blankly at his surroundings. "Dad survived through the attack, but just barely. He stayed in a hospital on life support for about a month before he finally passed away. Mom was devastated, I think it worsened her nervous condition. She couldn't stand the place anymore and we moved away. We stayed in about four different places by the time we made it to Canada and I ended up going to the same school as Aeris."

"What ever happened to your father's attacker?" Leo's gaze shifted to his hands, both limbs beginning to tremble fiercely.

"He was caught," Leo stated firmly. "But the prosecution rushed the case to get it over with quickly and because of a technicality..." Leo paused, his face visibly showing a difficulty with continuing, "he got away. It wasn't until a year later that he was caught again, tried and then executed... after killing two more people." The statement struck the hybrid hard. All Alex could do for the moment was stare about the area, dumbstruck. But soon it was gone, replaced by a peculiar anger.

"I... I... understand how that feels..." Alex stated, his voice but a harsh whisper as his clenched jaw effected them. "It's crushing... when you realize just how meaningless the legal infrastructures you're taught to respect really are..."

The hybrid looked at Leo intently. Hearing the unfortunate story of his father made him look at the feline in a new light. Such a horrific event in the young cat's life, both the cause and effect that could tear down the toughest of people into a miserable wreck. And yet, all Alex could see was a feline brimming with happiness, almost carefree in a sense that the hybrid had thought was lost in the world. Such a tragedy didn't shadow over his life like it would many others.

Though Leo didn't know it, he had just gained a great deal of respect from the crossbreed.

"It was actually my dad who gave me this," Leo said, tapping the bell around his neck, its jingling chime silently ringing out. "When we visited America a long time ago on vacation. I guess I was a little excitable and I ended up getting separated from them... I was lost for over an hour, unable to find my way through the large crowds of people that inhabited the city we were in. I remember being afraid that I wouldn't see them again. But eventually, they found me... I just couldn't stop crying, no matter what Mom did to try and console me. But Dad... he simply smiled and gave me this collar." Leo flicked the bell again, becoming calmed as he heard the chime again. "He said when I wear this, they'll always be able to find me..."

Leo continued playing with the bell, smiling to himself as it rocked back and forth. Alex watched him with interest, absentmindedly running a hand across his own neck, feeling the hardened leather of collar that hugged his throat.

"That reminds me of my own," the hybrid said, gaining Leo's attention. "It was a gift from my brother Max. Neither of us had our own income, he was far too young to work and no one would higher a crossbreed like me for an after school job. It made gifts between us rather intangible, yet it didn't stop him when he noticed how cool dogs looked wearing this things... Though he didn't have a job, he could always gain some change from our parents to buy candy." Alex chuckled. "I'll never forget how worried Mother was when he began asking for money more often then usual, thinking he would get bad cavities. But... he never bought any. Instead, he saved it until he had just enough to buy this. I remember the excitement on his face when he gave it to me. At first, I only wore it to make him happy, since I knew they were more for dogs then anyone. Eventually though, it grew on me. And when... well... I lost them... I couldn't bear the thought of ever not wearing it..."

"Well it _does_ still look weird on you," Leo said. There was a long, silent pause between them. Neither said a word and simply stared at the other. Then, their lips quivered as they moved up to a smile and they began to laugh, nearly slipping off of their seats in the process. After several moments of their enjoyment, Leo stopped as something occurred to him. "Wait a second... Did... did we just have a 'moment'?"

The hybrid stopped laughing himself and looked at Leo strangely. After a second of thought he simply shook his head.

"Nah," Alex replied, slowly sliding himself off of the branch he was on. With a thud, the hybrid landed on his feet, his knees buckling slightly on the impact. Sitting down on the grass, Alex got back on his shoes as he waited for Leo to do the same.

"Ah," he heard the cat yelp out. Just then, Leo's body came crashing down, landing face first on the hard ground. Alex cringed as he witnessed the impact, almost feeling the pain Leo must have just experienced. After a second of lying still on the ground, Leo began to move, groaning in mild pain as he attempted to stand.

"Some cat you turned out to be," the crossbreed chuckled.

"Shut it," Leo spat, beginning to stand on his wobbly feet. After he was up and recomposed, he looked about his surroundings. "So... we can either go back home or see what else we can do. It's been a while, we could probably go down to GameShop and see if they have anything new in – ack!" Leo was cut off as a soccer ball flew through the air and smacked him in the face. Grunting in pain, he looked out to see all the children who were previously playing their game now watching them, pointing and laughing at the feline's misfortune. "Why you little brats. Come here."

Leo shot toward them, raising a fist in frustrated anger at the snickering children. The youthful spirits all scattered. Alex watched the spectacle take place as Leo kept his chase going, feeling that he would rather watch the show then take part in it. But soon, he was forced to run after them as the tables quickly turned and he could hear the gray cat screaming.

"Oh dear God, help me!"

* * *

><p>Aeris closed her book with a satisfied breath. It had what she wanted, and then some.<p>

The pink cat still couldn't believe how drastically the story changed going toward the end. With Rugmuncher expressing her feelings towards Charity, the woman she loved. Then, summoning the power to finally put a stop to the evil flying horned equine of the day star, who suspiciously had a cockney accent. Then as the book came to a satisfying end, Rugmuncher was able to return to her island nation of Lesbia and continue her dream as a car washer with her love in tow.

Again, Aeris felt a sensation of joy for having completed the book. Even more enjoyable was the old feeling of being able to take time to herself with no worries since Alex seemed to be better.

Now, she would have to make sure to make up for lost time and figure out. Maybe something involving a car battery?

Her despicable plans were soon broken down however as there was a knock at the front door.

Opening it, Aeris was surprised to see a strangely garbed human standing before her.

"Pantsman," she muttered with a raised eyebrow, "what are you doing here?"

"Is Alex and Leo here?" the hero asked, seemingly ignoring her question.

"They're out."

"Ah, too bad." Aeris took notice to a folder he had tucked under his arm. Seeing where her eyes were going, Pantsman held it up and handed it to her. "I actually wanted to show them this stuff I found on your roommate."

"Stuff?" Aeris opened the folder and found a rather thick stack of papers inside, the front of it had the name of a city printed in large letters.

"Well, I got a little curious about him ya know. And he ended up mentioning the city where he grew up in once. I figured I could get some information about it, see what makes him tick."

"You researched where he lived?" Aeris found a small sense of relief to know she wasn't the only snoop around.

"Well it wasn't easy," Pantsman said with a prideful smirk. "Had to sift through tons of information to find the good stuff. Police reports, old news articles, even called up a few people who still live there. Took a long time. But I figured I'd show it to you guys, maybe get Alex's own view on it all." The pink cat had actually began to wonder why the undergarment themed superhero wasn't calling them up for comics anymore. At least now she knew what was keeping him so busy.

"So what did you find?" Aeris muttered, her attention put into the file as she began looking at several pages.

"Oh you wouldn't believe it," the hero said, becoming somewhat excited. "From what I've seen, there's no wonder your friend is the way he is. Nearly the entire place is a mess with crime." Some of the pages in the file showed graphs of crime levels. Though Aeris didn't know exactly what they meant, it was obvious that the number was high.

"From what I've seen," Pantsman continued, "nearly every kind of crime imaginable takes place there at one point or another. But the worst part of the city is how it was run. The city in its entirety was owned by a single group that had control over all of the organized crime." Aeris came to several pages that showed notes on suspected individuals who were apart of this 'group', photos of random people were clipped with them. "The weirdest thing is though is how next to impossible it is to get any real information on them. Most of the files I've found are vague descriptions of their activities. Many police reports even denied that such an organization existed. But... there was one thing that always came up. A small group of people supposedly in this organization." More papers in the file were written copies of police interrogations, just from how the suspects spoke, they seemed scared.

"What was so special about them?" Aeris asked, looking up form the file to see Pantsman grimacing.

"They were the main guys the organization 'supposedly' used, the right hand, go-to guys. They were looked at like a myth in the city though, known for their brutality and remorselessness. Sadists who could and would do anything to anyone if they saw fit to do so. Stories about them were spoken like old fables, and none of them were pleasant. There was little information I could actually find except reports on the ramblings of cracked vagrants. But, there was one detail that everyone was certain of about this group. All the members showed their loyalty to the organization with a brand. Permanently tattooing their mark onto their bodies."

Turning through several more pages of the file, Aeris' grip slacked on her current page as her heart nearly stops beating. Staring down at the paper, her eyes widened and locked onto a picture of the aforementioned brand. It was a letter. F, styled in a very fancy font, appearing as if it had been carved from ice. But Aeris, mind wasn't focusing on the F in the picture.

All she could see was where she had seen the mark before, branded on a background of red fur.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ARGH! God dammit. Well, I'm _really_ sorry that this chapter had to take so long. Ugh, feels like forever since I finished chapter thirty.**

_**It's only been about two and a half weeks...**_

**Shut it! That feels like a long time for me. **

**You know how that old saying goes, Life's a bitch. And it most certainly was for me. What with Life being all like, "Ha, thirty chapters? I hope that was the ending 'cuz you ain't getting shit down now." (bitch slap)**

**So of course I was just really pissed off at this point. So summoning my inner J. Jameson, I demanded to see Life's manager. Then, after a battle of words that should never be repeated in the most holy land of the internet, Life relented and took me to see it's manager. Who I ended up beating to death with my trusty cane. (What? Did you think it was just a name?)**

**(Sigh) Anyway... yeah, chapter goodness and stuff.**

**What's this? Leo has back story? Blow the trumpets! Yeah, I don't really know why but I always figured Leo's dad to be the type whose a little too good-natured, pretty much to a fault. "Hey I nearly lost my son in this train wreck of a country. I find it amusing. Here's a collar and bell so we can keep track of you." Actually, what's that one story called, with the nest of mice who trick a cat into wearing a bell so they can hear it coming? I couldn't help but think of that...**

**Added in a nice little Mentally Advanced Series reference near the end there too. "What is Mentally Advanced Series?" You may ask, well I'll answer it with a question of my own. Do you not have a computer? Heh. If anyone actually gets it on first glance, you were like "OMG I know what that is!" then you my friend are the greatest. (high five) **

**And yes, Pantsman is a better detective then Batman. Pantsman actually _works_ for his information, he doesn't have a magic computer with the best internet ever that requires a five second search of a simple keyword and you get insta-win button.**

**Also, U-boatway, is that a reference or just a bad joke? I can't tell... **

**And not all cats can land on their feet aparently, but some half-cats can I suppose.**

**Oh yes and (gasp) important stuff at the end there! I really hope it didn't go WOOOSH over the heads of some of you readers. Seeing as how the actual connection to it was like... twenty-six chapters ago...**

**So yeah, 32 shouldn't take as long as this one did... At least I hope not. I'll have my cane ready just in case Life shows up again though.**


	32. A Past Better Off Forgotten

**Chapter 32: A Past Better Off Forgotten**

"Is something wrong Aeris?" Pantsman asked, noticing a slight shift in the feline's demeanor.

Aeris simply shook her head, trying her hardest not to make the crippling emotion running through her obvious to the hero. But all she could do was stare at the picture of that mark. A mark apparently worn by ruthless criminals, murderers and the like, and a mark that was on the back of their so called friend.

"Well," the hero said, crossing his arms as he looked about aimlessly, "that's really all I came up here for. Since Leo and Alex aren't here, you can just show them that folder. Though tell Alex I'd like to hear about the city from him, I'm still curious about hearing about it first hand." With a simple wave goodbye, Pantsman was gone, leaving Aeris alone.

Just standing there for several minutes, it took the pink cat that much time to notice that her hands were beginning to shake. She didn't want to believe it, she just couldn't.

All Aeris wanted to do now was find some explanation, a logical reason that would deter her from the most obvious truth. But that was it, she couldn't think of anything. So many strange details now seemed to make perfect sense to her. Alex's money, the knife he carries in his coat, why he needed fake identification, his violent behavior. It fit together, just like a puzzle. Her father was right, Alex had been fooling them all along.

But Aeris wasn't given anymore time to dwell on the shattering realization. The loud creaking of the front door opening snapped the feline out of her perpetual shock.

"You really don't have anyone to blame but yourself," Alex's voice carried through the door's threshold. His arm was wrapped around Leo as he half dragged the gray cat into the apartment.

"There were just so many," Leo muttered, looking somewhat disheveled. "All those kids... they were so mean, so vicious."

"Well... you only really had a size advantage, they had everything else. And you did kind of chase after them, so I can't say you didn't deserve it." They made it to the living room, the hybrid finally letting go of Leo to fend for himself. Becoming aware of the presence of their third roommate, Alex turned to Aeris and noticed the stricken look on her face. "Is something wrong?"

"Yeah," Leo mumbled, noticing it as well, "you look like you've just seen some horrible thing that forever changes how you look at something for the rest of your life." Aeris ignored the gray cat and just looked at Alex, her eyes holding a mixed expression of distraught anger.

"What... what is this?" she said, trying to make her voice steady as she held up the file. Perhaps it wasn't the smartest way to confront him, but the pink cat was too upset to care.

"Uh... an old file folder?" Now Aeris' face was a full expression of rage as she shoved the folder into his grasp. Confused, Alex opened it to see the stack of papers inside. As he looked through them, with every page turned, his brow furrowed even more. Inevitably, he fell onto the same page Aeris stopped at. As Alex stared down at it, it almost appeared like his breathing had stopped. After several moments of prolonged silence, the hybrid closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "I guess... some things you just can't hide..."

"What?" Leo asked, oblivious to what was going on. With a sigh, Alex handed the file over to him. Just as it was for the others, Leo's expression shifted slowly with every page that was looked at. Then, his eyes widened on the fateful page that wrapped it all together in a bow. Immediately afterward, Leo jumped behind Alex and yanked the hybrid's shirt up. With his back exposed, both cats could see the F tattoo clearly on his back. "Oh my God..."

"Look," Alex said sternly, "I know what those papers say, but you have to know that it isn't what you think-"

"What we think?" Aeris shouted, her temper beginning to rise. "We think you're a fucking criminal!" Taking the folder from Leo, Aeris threw it down onto the ground in front of the hybrid, the contents spilling out onto the floor around him.

"I already told you I was a criminal," Alex said defensively, hardly able to meet Aeris' eye level for more then a few moments.

"Yeah, with fighting and some theft. Not a murdering lunatic that works for a bunch of crime lords! All this time, you've lied to us and kept secrets! Just who the hell are you Alex?"

For an uncountable amount of time, Alex stood there in silence, feeling the burning gaze of Aeris on him along with the confused stare of Leo. All he could do was stand there, looking down at the floor, his eyes inadvertently locked onto the papers that seemed to spit their harsh words into his face.

"Fine," he said in a roughed huff, "you want to know, and I guess there's no point in trying to avoid it. But just know this," he looked them both in the eyes, "I've hardly ever lied to you. I've simply kept things from you, things you didn't need to know. We all have secrets you know... But nothing of this... this _past_ of mine has no effect on either of you. It's a chapter of my life that I've kept forced shut for a long time now."

Alex sat down on the couch, taking up the very edge of the cushion as he rested his hands on his knees. Both cats stood over him, still waiting for what explanation he was about to give them.

"Those papers," the hybrid said, nodding down at the file, "I know how they make me look to you. But... that's only a fraction of what has really happened before I met you. No... to begin with, I'll have to tell you about the actual lie I've told you... The lie about my family." Aeris and Leo looked at one another for a moment, thinking of what kind of a difference this would have. "You see... they... they weren't killed in a house fire..."

* * *

><p>The night was peaceful. Its darkened skies were perfect, denied the tainting effects of clouds for a clear expansion over the land. Cool air swirled about with the simple push of the wind. Not chilly, but just cold enough to show the world that the sun was gone and its cycle finished. But what truly made the night grand was the pale silver crescent that hung high above everything else. The moon's light shined itself down on the large American city below it.<p>

But the people of the city ignored the world's beauty around them, blinded by the building filth of their own selfish lives. At least one home seemed all the brighter because of it though. A simple enough household that nestled itself at the furthest end of its suburban surroundings.

The inside of the warming home was just as peaceful as the natural world outside it. As a fox sat down in his most comfortable chair, basking in the stillness of his home as he turned on the TV and watched the local news, his way of enjoying his simple life.

In the kitchen, a tigress hummed softly to herself as she opened the hot stove to retrieve her latest batch of confections, the heavenly aroma of the freshly made cookies filling the small home. Near her was the tigress's second son. Max, the young, tiger-faced crossbreed sat at the table, munching on a cookie as he blissfully watched his mother work.

The last inhabitant of the house was relaxed on the living room sofa, a book in his face while his eyes followed each sentence they were pointed at. Alex, the teenaged fox-hybrid, swished his striped tail from side to side in annoyance as the TV was turned on the news channel, the monotonous dribble of the newsman ringing into his ears.

With the sudden shift in noise, the hybrid found his efforts to continue reading in his current location to be pointless. Letting out a huff of despair, the hybrid closed his book and walked toward the stairs that led to the second floor, hoping he could find a more quite spot in his own room.

But as he made it to the first few steps, he stopped in his tracks, standing still along with everyone else. The serenity around the happy family was shattered as the terrible screeching of speeding tires suddenly stopping tore open the air around them.

The instant the horrific noise died down, it was soon followed by a loud banging on their front door. It wasn't the well known noise of someone knocking however, but of someone beginning to break down the locked door. With the thudding against their door increasing in sound and speed, a sudden cracking of wood sounded off and several cracks broke around the wooden door.

"Go, now!" the fox father shouted to his wife and children as he stood up and pushed himself against the door, all of whom stared at the door in transfixed fear. But after it was subsided, the tigress grabbed onto the fearful Max and ran toward the stairs.

With his proximity to them, Alex was first to make it up the flight. Tripping over himself, the fox-hybrid stumbled into his parents' bedroom, seeing their large bed standing several inches above the floor. Without thinking, he dived underneath, staring off at the threshold of the upstairs hallway, waiting for someone else to come through.

It took no time at all for the sound of the door breaking from its lock to make it to him. All he could now hear was shouting and the sounds of a struggle, his father's defiant cries carrying above it all.

As the horrible sounds continued, Alex saw his mother and little brother run into the bedroom with him. Max's entire body shook with fear as his mother slammed the door shut, but even the noise of it was drowned out as the heavy thudding of hurrying footsteps grew more and more in volume as they came closer to their location.

The door was suddenly thrown open, the tiger mother unable to lock it in time. With its powerful swing, the door hit the tigress and threw her to the ground. She was unable to do anything as their invaders entered the room right after. One of the intruders grabbed Max as he almost made it to the bed that housed his older brother. Though the young crossbreed struggled, he was no match for the superior strength of his captor. The canine holding the young crossbreed smiled devilishly at the young boy's struggling. There were many small scars around the sides of his face, and a noticeable tattoo on the back of his hand, a letter F.

With a violent hiss, the tigress got up and lunged toward the one who held her son. But she was stopped as a leg kicked upward and struck her back to the ground.

The leg's owner stood over her, gazing down on her with a look of contempt. He was a wolf, showing himself off as the leader straightaway as the other men quickly parted with his appearance. His dark gray fur matched the clean-pressed suit he wore. The wolf looked between the mother and child, his lips moved into a sickening smirk.

A simple twirl of his hand was his only order. No one but his own men knew what it meant, their faces beaming with delight as they turned toward the tigress and approached her.

They beat her. With a seemingly unending series of kicks and punches, they savagely beat the mother, all the while forcing the young Max to watch. The attackers even looked to be enjoying it, relishing in every cry of agony from the tigress, as well as every drop of blood that dripped onto the carpet. Alex saw it all, unable to move as his body quivered down to his very being, still unnoticed by their cruel tormenters.

The tigress was soon on the ground again, her body trembling as she bled from the many gashes and cuts he received, most of her wounds already beginning to swell.

Still showing his sadistic smirk, the wolf stepped forward once again. Retrieving a gun kept within his suit, the wolf stood over the tigress and aimed it at her. The tigress looked into it with fear in her eyes, the fear of impending death. But the sounds of approval from his men were stopped as Max's cries of anguish filled the room, unable to bear witness to the horrific events in front of him any longer.

But the wolf simply turned his gaze toward the young hybrid, his eyes slowly moving from every detail on his miss-matched body. With one last glance toward the still bleeding mother, he motioned toward the one holding Max.

Nodding his understanding, the canine released Max and stepped aside. The tormented child had no time to embrace his sudden freedom, as the wolf aimed his gun and fired.

The gunshot silenced the room, its loud echo stopping everything else. But it was followed with a light thud, the thud of a young child's body collapsing onto the floor, blood pouring from the fresh wound in his head and pooling around him.

The sobbing cries of a mother then filled the room, unable to do anything else as the emotional pain she now felt outweighed that of the physical. But in such a cruel contrast, the attackers laughed, finding amusement in the pain they were causing.

A momentary pause in grief crossed the tigress, her mind suddenly realizing of her other child, his fate still undecided. The attackers didn't know where he was, and she needed to make sure they never found out.

With all of the anger and rage she could muster, the tigress swung her hand out at the wolf, claws extended. The wolf howled in pain as he felt the sharp claws digging into his leg, tearing into the flesh with ease.

Looking back down at the tigress with a furious glare, the wolf kicked her hard with his good leg, breaking her nose and throwing her back to the floor once again.

The wolf didn't wait for her reaction, his eyes set with murderous intent, he aimed his gun at her downed form. Repeatedly pulling the trigger, the gunshots sounded off in quick succession of one another, stopping as the faint clicking of the empty clip took over where the blasting stopped.

Alex continued to look on in horror, now seeing his mother's body spread out on the ground, her lifeless eyes staring into his hiding spot and directly at him.

"Let's go," the wolf growled, pushing passed his men as they followed. Their heavy footsteps trailed off down the stairs and out the front door.

For the longest time, Alex remained underneath the bed. He didn't dare move, fearful that the attackers hadn't gone. But soon, he reached a trembling hand out from under the bed and dragged himself out.

Alex sat there, his entire body trembled uncontrollably as he looked at the bodies of his mother and little brother. The hybrid wanted to cry out, to let loose the welling despair and sadness that was contained within him. But he couldn't. There was nothing, no sound nor action that could be appropriate enough to express such a soul shattering pain, forcing the hybrid to sit in silence as his body tore itself to pieces from the inside out.

But even with his senses in such a state of disparity, it didn't prevent him from smelling the foul odor of black smoke, or feeling the steady rise of warmth around him.

* * *

><p>"They set fire to the house," Alex muttered, staring blankly at the floor. His voice had been steady all throughout his retelling of his family's fate. But there was still the subtle twitch in his muscles, a tremble as a building anger tried forcing itself out.<p>

Aeris and Leo stared at the hybrid. The gray feline's eyes were wide, his mouth hung. Aeris' eyes stayed spread open as well, her hand held over her own mouth as if it would help her in someway.

"The flames spread quickly," the hybrid continued, "I couldn't even make it out of the door. So I jumped from the window, cut myself up bad and nearly broke my legs on the fall. Then I just ran, made it several blocks before my legs finally gave out, I hid in an alley for the rest of the night. A week later I find a newspaper that told of police finding my father's body lying in an alley, thrown out like trash."

"Oh my god..." Aeris finally said, hearing silence as Alex was finished. Her fur stood on end as she felt a cold chill continuously run up her back. Leo appeared to be having a smiler reaction.

"But..." Leo muttered, unable to believe such a thing could occur, "why?" The feline felt his skin crawl as Alex's yellow eyes locked onto him, set in a saddened look.

"I asked myself that same question for many years. It wasn't for a while until I was able to find out why we were targeted." His hands began trembling as he dug his fingers into his knees, matching the increase in his breathing. "You wouldn't believe how badly I wanted to ruin my father's name as a way to find the truth, to bring a sensible reason to what happened. But... there was nothing. No debt's to anyone, no double-life we knew nothing of, not even a criminal record. My father was an upstanding citizen and so was his family, and yet they were murdered. Why? Simply because he decided to marry outside of his species, to have children that were an affront to these peoples' God, to live a life he deserved to have!"

"No..." Aeris said, shaking her head in disbelief. "That... that can't be..." The hybrid's eyes narrowed.

"They hated my kind," he growled, "they hated everything about us. Even enough to kill." The pink cat shook her head.

"I-I'm sorry Alex, but that still doesn't explain this," Aeris said, pointing back down to the papers that littered the floor.

"I'm getting to that," Alex sighed. "After what happened to my family, everything is as I told you. I lived on the streets, stole to survive and was eventually taken in to work at a small pizza shop. But I didn't do all of this like you would think..." The hybrid looked at his forearm, his eyes running down the stripes that ran across it. "I was too afraid of letting anyone know what I was. I ended up finding an old trench coat and wore it to cover myself. But I knew it wouldn't fool everyone, so I got a hold of some makeup I could use to cover my stripes. So I just posed as a normal fox, people didn't really care enough to notice I wasn't."

"So no one knew?"

"Not even the owner of the pizza shop. Not at first anyway... He had no clue, until one day when he tried using me to fix a broken pipe under the kitchen sink. I didn't know anything about plumbing but I guess he figured I was better then paying some guy to do it. Inevitably, I worsened the damage, the pipe burst and nearly drowned me. Soaked, the water smeared the makeup I wore and allowed him to see what I was... I soon realized that night would be another event that would alter the path my life was on..."

* * *

><p>Alex tried his best to explain himself. Facing the many questions that the old bulldog had for him.<p>

But he explained it all, what led him to his current state, his family, their deaths, everything.

The bulldog seemed to take it well, simply sending him to his room for the night to rest, deciding to clean up the mess in the kitchen himself as he thought about what he was told.

Now the hybrid slept in his cot in the small living quarters he was given. It wasn't much, but it was certainly better then sleeping out on the streets. However, as it usually was, sleep wasn't a peaceful rest for him. Still plagued by nightmares, just as he was every night since he lost everything, Alex found little comfort in the nightly ritual.

But there was something else wrong as he slept. Feeling a foreboding sense of warning, telling him that something, somewhere was wrong. It soon became too much for the crossbreed, his mind stirring itself awake.

Still drowsy, Alex looked about his room with his eyelids opened to just slits. With an annoyed groan, the hybrid rolled over on his back. It took several moments for his eyes to fully open. His vision was off at first, not adjusting to the darkness straightaway. But soon it did, and the hybrid became frightened as he saw an outline of someone standing next to him.

As his eyes fully adjusted, he saw the form of his employer. The old bulldog was creeping closer toward him, holding something in his hand. Alex gasped in surprise as he saw the sharp knife in his grip. The noise alerted the bulldog, causing him to quickly step toward him and bring the knife down on him.

But the hybrid was able to roll passed the bulldog, causing him to miss his mark and stab into the sheets of the hybrid's sleeping quarters.

"What the hell are you doing!" Alex shouted, his breathing rapid as he looked up at the bulldog turning to face him.

"I'll kill you before they even get here!" the bulldog answered. It was if he had gone mad. The shop owner's eyes were widened in a rage, his fur bristled and his fangs showing from a constant snarl. "Die, crossbred freak!"

He ran at the hybrid again, despite his age, he quickly closed the small gap they had and swung the knife at his target. Alex tried dodging, but the crazed dog was quick and cut the hybrid across the shoulder. As Alex clutched the wound, the bulldog jumped at him again, aiming to finish him off.

Alex held up his hands and was able to grab onto the bulldog's wrists, impeding his stab as the knife's sharp edge was pushed closer and closer by such small degrees.

His grown opponent was much stronger then he was and Alex could barley stop him. But as his desperation grew, Alex relinquished one hand from his defense and swung it forward, his claws extended as he sent them into the bulldog's stomach.

The employer cried out in pain as the sharp claws dug into his soft flesh. It made him lose his grip on the knife and fall forward, landing on the floor in a heap.

With no time to think, Alex's grip on the knife tightened and he jumped forward, landing on top of the bulldog. Though he tried fighting, the old canine, was unable to stop the hybrid as, with a furious yell, he brought down the knife into his chest.

The bulldog tried gasping, but all he could preform was a choked attempt to breathe. It only happened once before he fell silent, the life giving spark in his eyes quickly fading away.

Slowly, Alex climbed off of the corpse. He sucked in air rapidly, like a man dying of thirst would to water. All the hybrid could do was look between the body that was lying out before him and the now red blade of the knife in his hand.

Alex's torment was taken from him quickly however as his ears perked up to the nearby sound of a pair of car doors opening and closing. It was soon followed with the front door to the shop opening and slow footsteps echoing in the deserted building.

"It's quite," an orange tabby, one of the newcomers, said to the other in a hushed tone.

"Stay sharp," the other, a pitbull, responded, retrieving a pistol kept hidden within his suit.

They crept through the small pizza shop with their guns ready. Splitting up, the tabby moved toward the kitchen while the pitbull headed toward the owner's office and living quarters.

In the kitchen, the feline listened in closely to any sound that was made, but there was only silence. It unnerved him, knowing that the old bulldog running the place should have been there. After all, he had just called them merely hours ago.

Soon, the tabby found Alex's room, coming across the corpse of the shop's owner.

"Damn," the cat muttered, noticing the rough cut into his chest, still seeping blood onto the floor.

His attention caught on the dead canine, the tabby didn't notice as Alex slowly stepped toward him. The hybrid's gaze was locked on the feline, knife in hand and ready to be used. He was only a few steps away, his grip on the handle tightened, making his knuckles hurt.

"I think we found him," a voice said in amusement. In a sudden jolt of fear, Alex wheeled around to face the pitbull smirking at him, just before feeling the sharp pain of the canine's pistol smashing into the side of his face.

Thrown to the ground, Alex scrambled to his feet as the tabby charged him. Rather then use his gun outright, the feline grabbed his arms and held the tight behind his back.

"Well well well," the cat chuckled, "I guess that old fool wasn't lying when he said he had a crossbreed in his shop."

"Hm," the pitbull mumbled, rubbing his chin in thought. "Something about this kid seems familiar."

It was then that Alex noticed the small scars around the side of the pitbull's head, as well as the tattoo he had on the back of his hand. Alex recognized him as one of the people at his house. More specifically, the one who attacked his brother.

"_That's_ right," the pitbull said, his eyes focusing on the hybrid's ears, seeing the pattern of one ear tipped in black and two stripes running across the other. "I knew there must have been another one of you freaks that blasted fox and tiger had..." Alex could only look at the dog with terror, his body trembling as he stared into his face, reliving the horror of that night. "Heh. It's too bad you couldn't have seen the look on your mother's face, just as she watched her kid die." Then, Alex's fear stopped, cut short as his expression contorted into a furious glare.

"I did!" the hybrid bellowed. Quickly freeing an arm, Alex extended his claws and swung at the tabby holding him.

The wall of the kitchen was splattered with blood, thrown into it from the ferocity of the swipe as Alex tore into the feline's neck. The orange cat clutched at his throat, trying to stop the blood seeping out.

Before the pitbull could even react to the sudden turn of events, Alex's claws came up and sliced across the canine's face. Screaming in pain, the pitbull was blinded by his own blood. Growling in anger, he pointed his gun forward and fired blindly. Alex however, ducked down onto the floor, causing the host to embed into the struggle tabby.

Grabbing his fallen knife, Alex swung it into the pitbull's leg, cutting through the flesh and grazing the bone. With a scream, the dog fell over onto the ground and the hybrid pounced on top of him. In his blind fury, the crossbreed grabbed for the nearest object he could get his hands on. Gripping a large metal pot that was used to make pizza sauce, Alex brought it down hard on the squirming dog's head, smashing it between the metal object and the hard floor.

After striking him several times, the hybrid stopped for a moment. Squishy, gurgled attempts at breathing were all the noise the pitbull made as blood continuously flowed from his broken mouth. His anger never faltering, Alex gripped the pot tighter and continued to hammer it down onto the canine's head. Soon, the noises of the pitbull stopped, being replaced with the sound of crunching bone and the squishing noise of flesh being smashed. He could feel the splatter of warm blood reaching up to his face with every strike.

As time passed, Alex felt his strength beginning to drain from him, but he kept going. Only until the hybrid found himself smashing into the bloody floorboards of the kitchen did he stop, seeing nothing left of his target but a pool of blood and small meaty chunks.

With raspy breaths becoming more and more steady with each passing moment, Alex moved from the pitbull's body and stood up. He looked at the scene in front of him with a peculiar glance. Just standing there brought a certain perspective to him as he realized something, how little he actually felt.

Despite having just killed three people, violating so many moral codes in the process, Alex found himself without pity or remorse.

The hybrid was no fool, he could piece the scene together with great clarity. He knew who these people were, as well as their plans for him. And as he looked down on the pitbull, the very same canine who was apart of the attack that destroyed his life, he felt a glimmer of something. As if a fire was lit in the reaches of his hollowed being, a warmth found its way into his chest.

It made him feel whole, not completely, not even close. But he felt as though a small piece of his life was returned to him.

With one more steady breath of silent stillness, Alex looked down at his blood soaked hands and scoffed at them.

After running them through the kitchen's sink, the hybrid picked up the knife and cleaned it of its blood as well. When he was finished, he returned to his room, casually stepping over the bodies that were at his feet. Once there, the crossbreed grabbed his trench coat and put it on. It had been some time since he had worn it, having no need since he had acquired the job and place to stay. Wearing it now made the hybrid feel much less exposed then before, calming him even more.

His business there finished, Alex left the building and headed down the street. The hybrid forever turned his back on the small pizza shop, and the victims he had left along with it.

* * *

><p>"It was this very knife," Alex muttered, having retrieved the combat knife from within his coat. He looked at the blade with sheepish eyes, as if he was being lost in the razor sharp edge.<p>

"You... you murdered them?" Aeris said, her voice beginning to quiver, still staring at the hybrid with the same expression as before. Leo was struck speechless as he wrapped his arms around himself, trying to stifle his chilling body.

"They were trying to kill me," Alex shrugged, his tone unnaturally calm. "It was simple self-defense."

"B-but you-"

"One of them was there when my home was attacked!" Alex snapped, his fur beginning to bristle at being questioned. "The others still worked for the same bastards! They _all_ deserved to die."

Aeris said nothing else, becoming silent as she realized she couldn't argue the subject, waiting for the rest of his tale to be told. She knew it wasn't over, but feared how much more terrible it would become.

"I eventually left the city," Alex said, continuing as the both felines fell silent. "I couldn't stand to live there anymore, went up to New York. After a few months, I soon found myself angered at how little I actually knew about what happened in my home that night. So I returned to the city to find out exactly what happened, and to see what progress the police made on the murders of my family."

Again there was a pause, Alex sat there, his eyes shut tight while his jaw clenched shut. The hybrid's breathing was becoming rapid, his chest rising and falling at a great speed. Then suddenly, Alex raised a fist and smashed it down onto the coffee table. Aeris and Leo both jumped on the impact, looking at the hybrid in startled fear.

"They did _nothing_!" Alex shouted, glaring at the small dents in the table where his fist had landed. "There wasn't a single arrest! Not a single report! There wasn't even an investigation! The deaths of my mother and brother were labeled as an accident, while my father's murder was thrown into cold case the very same day. An entire family was murdered in cold blood and _nobody cared_!"

By now, the hybrid's body was trembling. Shaking down to his very bones, it wasn't of fear, but of anger. A white hot rage that was being contained the crossbreed's body, it threatened to burst out, being directed at anything or anyone that was close by.

"I wanted justice," Alex said, breathing heavily as he tried calming himself. "I wanted to see those bastards responsible to pay. But no one cared... I knew that the city was corrupt, I knew there was no chance of anything happening... So I took it upon myself."

As Alex continued with his story once again, Aeris and Leo looked at the hybrid with horror in their faces, realizing how dark the tale was becoming.

"I started off small. My time on the streets clued me in on who to talk to for information. It took some doing, but I eventually found out that the people responsible were apart of the organization that ran the city, it didn't deter me. Eventually, I found out about one man who ran money for them, it didn't take long to find him. I remembered his face as one of the people who were at my home that night. So I interrogated him, got names for the faces that were still burned in my mind. Then, when I got all I needed, I killed him."

The cats were visibly taken aback by it. How easily the hybrid had said it.

Alex then sighed as he leaned back in his seat, beginning to rub his eyes.

"It went on like that for a while, killed two more of the people who were there before I hit a snag. I had become unruly, my growing anger toward those who wronged me made it difficult for me to focus on anything. That eventually led me to meet Kerkrin. I'm sure you know what happened after... He trained me to fight, to control my anger, and I met Jake. But even as I fought for him in his ring, I still went out to disrupt the organization's business. But... I came to realize what repercussions my own actions would have on those around me..."

* * *

><p>Alex grunted in pain as he felt the strong blow of his opponent make contact with his injured shoulder.<p>

The hybrid quickly retaliated, swinging upward and striking his opponent in the side with his full strength. There was a satisfying groan from his opponent, feeling just as much pain as he was.

Swinging at each other once again, the two fighters dodged one another instead. They both used to momentary stop of blows to take several steps back. They were soon staring at each other, their fiery eyes locked into a battle of glares.

All around them, the howls of spectators dominated everything else. Whether it was from them crying out for more blood, or placing a new bet on their chosen winner, their cries were unceasing. Even as both fighters took a moment to rest, gauging each others injuries, their crowd only jeered at them to continue the previous onslaught.

Panting heavily, Alex eyed his opponent, seeing the sweat coated black fur of his wolf-face and the long cat-like tail that dangled at his backside. Even with how tired they both looked, Alex knew Jake wasn't going to let up anytime soon.

The fox-hybrid could see that there was a noticeable falter however. As the wolf-hybrid breathed rapidly, there was a subtle wince of pain that crossed his face at each interval.

It was a busted rib, or several for all Alex knew, a few more blows in the right spot and Jake would collapse.

But the crossbreed wasn't too cocky as to not notice his own faults. His right arm continuously shot pain into his nerves with each passing moment, throbbing with no end in sight. He knew further use would end up breaking it.

Alex kept his gaze locked on his fellow hybrid. He could see the look in his opponent's eyes, Jake could see his injury too. But he wasn't about to let Jake win.

They both charged one another, throwing their defenses out the window as they collided. The volume of the crowd spiked as the blows continued, Jake bringing his knee into Alex's chest, followed by Alex smashing his elbow against the side of Jake's head.

From within the crowd, their trainer and boss, Kerkrin, watched on as his two best fighters crossed paths for what seemed like the dozenth time. The aging Siamese cat could only shake his head in dismay as he watched their continuing fight, which quickly turned into them simply beating each other mercilessly.

They weren't set on simply beating their opponent as they were with anyone else, they were set on breaking each other. All for some childish squabble he knew little of, but he knew it was always like this. They would have to find common ground soon or risk ruining the training he had given them already.

The crowd exploded in an uproar as Alex dodged a swing made by Jake. With an opening, he balled his fist and threw it forward. As he felt his hand make contact, there was a loud yelp of pain as the Alex's fist struck his opponent between the eyes. The force of the attack knocked Jake off of his feet and onto the hard ground.

Slowly, Jake began pushing himself up, his body shaking from the strain of it. He could see Alex standing over him, bent over and pushing on his knees as he tried catching his breath.

"Just... just stay down," Alex gasped, still gulping down air.

"Not a chance," Jake grunted back in retort. As he returned to his feet, Jake began to thrust himself forward, lunging at his opponent to surprise him. But as Jake prepared himself for the attack, he suddenly stopped, mimicking the action of Alex and everyone else in the room.

The terrible screech of metal being torn open filled the room as a wall of the building was suddenly torn open. With the new opening, several men charged inside, brandishing large rifles as they scared off the large crowd of bloodthirsty gamblers.

"What is the meaning of this?" Kerkrin shouted as the room was cleared, save for the few of his fighters that were already in the building.

"You Kerkrin?" one of the men asked, his unfriendly voice immediately earning a glare from the feline.  
>"Yes. And once again, I demand to know what's going on!"<p>

"We heard you have a half-breed here," the man said, his eyes beginning to move about the room.

"That's none of your concern," Kerkrin growled. "I will not have such unwarranted hostility in my-"

"Take him," the man ordered, causing another one of the intruders to smash his rifle against the feline's head. Kerkrin fell to the ground, unconscious.

By now, Jake and Alex escaped their ring and were spotted by their attackers.

"There's two," one of them said. "What do we do?"

"Take them both you idiot," their leader said angrily. Without hesitation, they all aimed their rifles at the two crossbreeds and fired.

Alex braced himself for the impact, too weak to move fast enough to dodge. A sharp pain stabbed into his chest, but then it stopped. Surprised, he looked down to see a small dart sticking out from his chest. Within that very moment, Alex's head began to swirl as it felt like the room was spinning. As another second passed, the earth itself seemed to flip itself as the hybrid collapsed onto the ground.

It was some time before Alex regained consciousness.

The first thing he noticed was the numbness in his hands and the shooting pain he felt everywhere else. An answer to the reason made itself clear quickly as he found himself suspended in the air, a chain wrapped tightly around his wrists and bolted to the ceiling of a room he didn't recognize.

As he hung there, Alex couldn't help but feel like a meaty carcass, awaiting to be sent through a butcher's dis-assembly line. Though knowing who his captors were, he was sure that was their idea for him.

It didn't take him long to notice that he wasn't alone in the room. Alex's eyes fell on Jake, given the same treatment he was, already awake from his forced nap. But Alex quickly became worried as he saw the look of shear terror plastered on his fellow hybrid's face.

Following his gaze, Alex looked out to the spot set in front of them both. The hybrid's face soon matched that of Jake's as he saw the battered corpse of a Siamese cat, or what was left of it.

* * *

><p>"They tortured him," Alex said, his eyes becoming distant as he stared at the floor, "then they killed him. Only because they were looking for me. They didn't know who I was, but they assumed it was a crossbreed that was causing them trouble. It was my fault... it was me they were looking for... and he payed for it. I never would have been able to guess that I was getting him involved. But Jake... he never blamed me for it. No, he took his anger out on them." Alex leaned back in the seat again, taking a deep breath before continuing. "We escaped, it wasn't easy, but together we managed it. Afterward, I explained to him who I was and what I did. And of course, he wanted in on it. With Kerkrin's death, he had his own stake in it all.<p>

"With Jake's help, we spearheaded our campaign against them. He had skill with firearms that far exceeded my own, a master marksman.. His superior knowledge of the streets was also invaluable as we systematically disrupted every part of their organization. From their warehouses of illegal goods, to their cash drop offs, we did all of that and more as we chipped our way up the ranks to find those responsible for our pains."

"So... you just kept killing them all?" Aeris asked, the shock of Alex's story slowly ebbing away.

"You make it sound simple," the hybrid shrugged. "It's not as though we went in guns blazing, it took a lot of planning. To figure out the best points of attack, as well as who we needed alive to get information out of. Eventually, we again hit a snag, as we realized we needed to get closer to them to find information."

"Closer?"

"As in joining their ranks. Jake couldn't do it, he wasn't able to disguise himself well enough, but I could. So I hid my crossbred traits and joined them, slowly gaining their trust. And then... I joined their boss's crew, the ones who actually wear this mark, the ones closest to their leader. Ended up killing one of their own to get it, framed him as a snitch for the cops, earned a good deal of respect for that. Of course, becoming one of them meant I had to get their mark..." Alex's face scrunched in anger, becoming visibly distraught as he relived bad memories.

"It's an indescribable feeling... To be surrounded by the people who ruined your life... And to have them accept you as one of their own... Then, to have them permanently brand you... Working for them, I had to do a lot of things to innocent people that I'm not proud of, but I never killed any of them, that much I can say.

"It wasn't for nothing though, I got the information we needed. I was able to find out exactly who was there the night my family was killed. And eventually... I found myself meeting the real leader of the organization, the very man who gave the orders to kill my family." Alex paused, taking in a deep breath before continuing.

"Elijah Frost, that's his name. A wolf, a businessman, and most importantly, very religious. He's very devout, believing in God, Jesus and all that other nonsense. No surprise that he ended up hating hybrids. He made sure the rest of his men followed suit with his ideals. The guy quite literally owned the city, allowing him to do whatever he wanted, including a little extermination when the need came about.

"When we met... it didn't end well. Just to meet him, to see the one responsible for so much pain in my life... I lost it. Our encounter... ended less then ideally. We each left our own mark on each other. With me nearly taking his leg... and he..." Alex grabbed at his collar, carefully undoing the buckle that kept it secure around his neck, "nearly took my life."

He removed his collar, Aeris and Leo both gasped at what they saw. Where his collar was, all they could now see was a gruesome scar. It spanned across the front of his neck, leaving a hairless line of tattered flesh. After they had their look, Alex was quick to put the collar back on, covering the scar up once again.

"I learned that day just how important it was to keep control, not to take such unnecessary risks. I survived the encounter, but so did Frost. Afterward though... I found information on the wolf who led the attack on my home, Frost's second in command, his son. He was just as sadistic as his father. But our encounter ended in my favor." Alex's fists clenched as he glared down at the floor. "I killed him. I did my best to cause as much pain to him as he caused me. When I was done... well... it didn't surprise me when most of the lesser criminals in the organization skipped town in fear. However, it soon led to Frost leaving the city himself. With only a few good men left, he abandoned the city and went north."

Alex again heaved a sigh, his ears drooping down as he looked down to stare at the floor.

"It was a wild goose chase. Jake and I followed him the best we could, moving from state to state, finding his trail and keeping just behind him. Eventually, we lost him at the border to Canada, we lost the trail... He just seemed to vanish, nothing to go on and no way of following him any longer.

"We continued the search into Canada, but we still found nothing. Then, Jake wanted to stop. I felt betrayed, to see him want to leave after everything that's happened. But he was right, there was no point in continuing. The people who killed my family were all dead, and Frost was gone for good, living in fear of us. So that's what we did, we stopped the killing. Jake went back to America while I stayed here. We split up the money we stole from Frost as we went on with our operation. I let Jake have most of it, having no need for so much myself. After we went our separate ways, I led myself to this very city, attempting to piece together a life for myself. Getting a little job and crappy apartment, I stayed like that for a while until I eventually joined up in that game tournament... and I suppose that's where both of our stories meet."

After he was finished, a thick silence fell over the apartment. None of them made a noise, even the inanimate apartment didn't dare to make a peep. Alex sat still, looking at both cats, gauging their reactions. Aeris and Leo still looked stricken, suspended in looks of disbelief, shock, and horror.

"W-what about the police?" Leo asked, breaking the silence as she came to realize that the law was never a factor in Alex's explained past.

"They were never a threat," the hybrid said with a shrug. "Sure, I've left plenty of my DNA at the scenes, hair, a lot of blood, etc. But I have no file for them to match it to. Alexander Kage is legally dead, burned alive in the 'accidental' house fire that killed his mother and little brother. Hell, technically, Jake doesn't even exist. It did help that we were killing criminals too though, Frost covered most of them up, didn't want the law poking in on his business."

"I just..." Aeris began, having trouble speaking, "I just can't believe it... So you _are_ a killer, just not in the sense I first thought..."

"They all deserved their fate," Alex growled. "They were all murderers, they've destroyed more lives then you could count. Though I only killed them for my own reasons, I know the world is a much better place without them."

Aeris felt her emotion snap at that instant. Just witnessing his attitude toward it all, how little he cared that he was no better then they were.

"How can you say that?" Aeris shot down to him. "Okay Alex, I understand that you've been put through a lot of pain. But how can you just-"

"You _understand_?" Alex shouted. The hybrid stood up, forcing Aeris to take a step back as he leaned toward her, his face twisted in rage. "How _dare_ you say that to me! How dare you stand there and lie to me! What pain do you know Aeris, huh? Maybe you've stubbed your toe? Lost a pet? Oh I know! Maybe someone called you a nasty name as a child!" Aeris felt herself shrinking as Alex glared her down. His peaking rage rivaling even her own.

"Alex, I was just-" she tried saying.

"Don't you even _attempt_ to think you can understand what I've been put through! To know what it's like to watch as everyone you've ever cared about, everyone who ever cared about you is slaughtered! You will _never_ understand." As Aeris was torn down by the hybrid, Leo stepped forward.

"Alex," he pleaded, "please, calm down." But all Leo's words did was cause the crossbreed's sights to be set on him.

"And what of you Leo?" Alex asked. "Having to know your own father was brutally attacked."

"A-Alex," Leo tried saying, realizing where he was going, "d-don't."

"To watch as he lied helpless on a hospital bed, slowly dieing with nothing you could do to prevent it," the hybrid continued, hammering the point deeper.

"P-please, stop."

"Then, to have your father's grave pissed on as your so called justice system didn't care enough to punish the man responsible!"

"Shut up!" Leo cried out, covering his ears as he shrank down onto the floor. Aeris quickly moved to his side, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. Though she was confused, she was also worried by her friend's sudden despair.

"It hurts, doesn't it," Alex muttered, crossing his arms as his let out a shaky sigh. "Both of you need to detach from that childish notion that the world is a just place, it isn't and never was. I've killed those who wronged me and my family, they brought it on themselves." Aeris turned from Leo to look at Alex, her eyes narrowing.

"And did killing them help the pain go away?" Alex showed a sense of surprise from the question. He paused for a moment, not saying the answer outright.

"No," the hybrid said flatly, "I still feel it. The same burning hatred I had towards Frost and his men, eating away at me. But Jake was right though, we both needed to stop, to let go. You saw how he is, he adapted easily. Can't say the same for myself... I know Frost is gone, I know what we did was enough, but to let go of something like that... my past... it just seems impossible. Jake once said that such a thing is the peace all great warriors strive for... I've only seen it as a calm before the final storm... I can't even shake away the nightmares of that night, how I'm constantly reminded of my own cowardice. How I hid away while my mother and brother were killed. I... I should have tried to protect them... I should have done _something_!"

Aeris and Leo both looked at Alex with sympathetic glances, they could see there was still great turmoil within the hybrid.

"Alex," Aeris said, "that's not something you can blame yourself for."

"It's hard not to," the crossbreed muttered. "Look, I'm sorry to both of you. I... never wanted for you to find out. Like I said, it's a chapter of my life that I've kept shut for sometime... But I'm still forced to look back on it... I'm sorry for letting things come to this... You won't have to put up with me anymore." With that, Alex grabbed his coat and moved for the door.

"Where are you going?" Aeris asked, causing the hybrid to stop.

"Leaving of course," Alex answered, a frown forming as he looked at her. "I can't abandon Jake and leave the city, and I know you don't want the likes of me here. I'll find someplace to hide out until he's better. Goodbye... our time together was... enjoyable."

He turned toward the door, already gripping the handle.

"Wait," Aeris shouted, reaching out and grabbing Alex's arm. The hybrid stopped his departure and looked at her with confusion. "You don't have to go... I... I _order you_ to stay! The bet is still on, you still have to listen to me!"

"What?" Alex said, dumbstruck at what he was hearing. "Aeris, did you not listen to me? I'm a murderer, a cold-blooded killer! How could you possibly want me to stay here?"

"You're still our friend Alex, you don't have to hide yourself because of what you did." Still shocked at what he was hearing, Alex began shaking his head in defiance.

"No no no," he said in his maddening confusion, "this... this isn't right! You, you can't just accept what I've done just like that. Th-this isn't how things happen... That isn't how the world works! You can't just condone something like that!"

"I can't condemn it either," Aeris argued, staring the hybrid directly in the eyes. "You're right Alex. I will never be able to understand what you or Jake have been put through. I will never know what things were like in your past... but I do know what you're like now." Without warning, Aeris stepped forward and wrapped her arms around the hybrid. Alex's expression widened even more with shock as the feline kept her comforting hold on him. "You are our friend Alex. Though we didn't know your past, we know who you are now. You've done so much for us, and now you need _us_ to help you. You might see yourself as just a killer, but I've seen how nice of a guy you really are. And if you think your past is behind you, well... I believe you."

Alex just looked at her, his crippling shock not fading away easily. He didn't know what to say, what to do. There was no possible way he could have prepared for something like this, it was nothing he could have expected. But the hybrid soon realized that it wasn't just Aeris' word he needed. His gaze shifted toward their other companion.

Leo simply stood there, watching the scene as Aeris explained her own reasoning. There was a noticeable sense of unease about him though.

"And what of you?" Alex asked, regarding the gray cat. Leo opened his mouth to speak, but said nothing right away. His eyes moved about the floor slowly, thinking on what he was to say.

"Well... I don't see why things have to change now. Really, I think it's kind of cool to have an actual crime fighter in the apartment, rather then Pantsman who is just... well... Pantsman. And if Aeris has no problem with it, then I have none either."

All Alex could do was stare between the two felines, his confusion never faltering. He felt exhausted, both emotionally and physically. But, there was a strange, familiar feeling in his chest. He didn't know why, or what it was, but for some reason he felt contented. But he did know one thing, that things weren't going to be as easy as his two roommates were making it out to be.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: OH GOD WHY! ANOTHER TWO FUCKING WEEKS! AHHHHH! Sure the chapter's long, but WHO CARES! Just... Just... Exposition! Exposition fucking EVERWHERE! You can practically see Leo and Aeris flapping their hands up and down, mouthing the words 'blah blah blah' the ENTIRE TIME! Why! I swear I tried my best. There was so much deleting, so much shortening. OH LOOK! Flashbacks! Those are interesting... right? Right? Please agree with me!**

**Why is this so terrible! Why is my sanity slowly slipping! Why are my walls starting to melt! Oh dear God... I think I'm having an emotional breakdown! Where's that bright light coming from! AHHHHH!**

**(…)**

**Okay... Okay... I'm better now... I've got some warm tea right here... I don't drink it but the smell calms me... Okay... So yeah. Chapter Thirty-two and stuff. Gotta say, I'm slightly disappointed with myself. I won't lie, I was fearing this chapter coming up for a while now. Since well... yeeeaaaahhh you've read it right? **

**So we've seen Alex's story played out, through explanation and flashbackyness. Though really, he could just be lying out of his ass the entire time, you just never know... (wink) And it might seem a bit odd for Aeris and Leo to just totally accept him that quickly. Though really, if you think about it, it makes sense when you look at the closeness that has occured since they first met...**

** All I can really do now is apologize for how long this chapter took and promise that things will improve in future chapters (no more long ass exposition chapters, I swear!)**

* * *

><p><em><strong>My Tangents! Let Me Show You Them!: <strong>_**(uhh... yeah...)**

**Okay, so I can't fully blame life for this chapter's late arrival. Really, I've come to realize something. I get _way _too addicted to older video games then I really should.**

**A few days after I put up Chapter Thirty-one, I ended up buying Symphony of the Night.**

**_Took you this long?_**

**I know right? I never got the chance to play it back when PSX was the shit, and it was always something I wanted to play. I really just dragged my feet about it since I wanted a physical copy of it to play. (I'm a real stickler for physicals over downloads) But I finally stopped bitching, got me a PSN card and bought it for ten bucks on the Network.  
><strong>

**Fell in love with the game _instantly_. **

**I know some people don't like it. "Oh it's not Castlevania cus you don't use a whip, herpa-derpa-derpa. (drool)" But really, Alucard kicks so much ass. My only real complaint is how easy-mode the game makes itself after a while. You don't even need to attempt to grind levels. Just playing through the game will make you way overpowered for a lot of bosses.**

**It's a great game though, I suggest everyone checks it out. And it's damn cheap, like ten bucks for PSN, and like... I don't really know the XBL point system very well... but I'm sure it's a ten dollar equivalent.**

**So yeah. Symphony of the Night gets my Top Hat of Approval. (Yeah! That's a thing!)**

**Actually, it wasn't the only thing I bought... I was really just in a Castlevania mood that day I guess and I also bought the two DLCs for Lords of Shadows. Ya know, they're coming out with the sequel soon and I was like "Meh, might as well," and bought them. And I have to say... not really worth it.**

**They aren't bad, so to speak. They just aren't worth the twenty dollar price tag. It's pretty much one DLC split up into two parts. While the game play itself isn't bad, they are SHORT AS HELL. So yeah, if you ever think about getting them. Just youtube or wiki them for story purposes. Especially since for twenty dollars you can pretty much buy the game now.**

**I actually did reference LoS back in Chapter three. And I still say it's a pretty damn good game. And yes, a lot of people don't like it simply because it's God of War but with Castlevania shit instead of Greek mythology shit. Well... I only have this to say to these people... Have you not played the Nintendo 64 Castlevanias? Really, they show you exactly why Castlevania game play doesn't work in a 3D setting. LoS got it right. **

**Though, I will say that the ending of it disappointed me. It does that stupid ass, gimmicky, overused plot device where you reach the final level and the final boss is hijacked by some random guy you knew NOTHING about for the entire game. And then, out of NOWEHERE M. Night Bananarama pops out of the sky screaming "What a twist!" **

**NO! Fuck you M. Night Bananarama. Get back to making the live action Legend of Korra movie you talentless hack!**

**Dammit! I _hate_ it when games do that. It just ruins the whole experience for me.**

**Fuck you Dark Element! You are _not_ the last boss of Dark Cloud 2, Emperor Mark Hamill is! Ugh God, it's bad enough I'm fighting glowy wing-sword man while Monica's all dressed up in her cheetah print bikini, making me feel really strange about the entire situation. But then I get unexplained evil-guy popping out of his ass right after, trying to take over the plot. And Dark Genie... Why the fuck are you even here? You aren't even the real Genie, you're just another stupid ass plot twist that has nothing to do with _anything_...**

**Okay. I realize they were just trying to make a nod toward the first game... what with the hundred floor level where you end up fighting that big Knight boss... but come on... Hell, it doesn't even make sense when you realize the games aren't even supposed to have anything to do with the other plot wise. Wasn't 2 just supposed to be it's 'spiritual' successor? Like what happened between Demon's Souls and Dark Souls?**

**But anyway... really... The only game I've played where they do that boss hijacking shit and I still enjoy it was Jade Empire. Aw man, that game is the best from beginning to end. Though... technically, I don't think it counts since after the hijacking, there's still a pretty good sized chunk of the game left before the actual boss... Sigh...**

**Also... I was a bit side-tracked with family stuff as well... **

**Nephew actually turned one like two weeks ago. Was a nice little party he had. Some out of state relatives came down to see the little guy too. I've actually been seeing him a lot lately too. And I've come to find out that it's kind of impossible to babysit and write a fanfic all at the same time... Ah well, Unkie Icecane is always happy to see his little nephew... gets into _everything_ though...**

**(It was then I realized this site would be a thousand times more awesome if they had a blog area.)  
><strong>


	33. Poor SelfPerception

**Chapter 33: Poor Self-Perception**

Alex could only sit there, down on his knees as he gazed between the tattered corpse before him and his own hands.

They were red, a scarlet shine in the coat of liquid life that dripped from them. In their grasp was a knife, it too was just as red as the hand holding it. The sharp, recently used tool salivated blood as it puddled on the floor underneath it. But soon, the knife slipped form his grip, clattering onto the floor with a splash.

The hybrid's eyes were wide as they stared fixedly at the lifeless wolf that was sprawled on the floor just a few feet away. He had done it, after so long, his family's murderer was dead.

Just to admire his own work, the culmination of so many years of torment, it made him chuckle.

A large grin spread out across his muzzle as he simply sat there and chuckled, never stopping or slowing in the amused noise. He was too lost in the scene to feel his sanity slowly slipping, the taut strings of his own mind preparing to snap.

Alex's eyes drifted back to his hands. Dripping with blood, _his_ blood. Oh how he had yearned for it for so long, how he dreamed of one day seeing it. Though it was an impossibility, he could swear that it looked different from the blood of any other, different from the scores of lesser criminals he slaughtered in his wake.

Now it was his. It _belonged_ to him. He could feel it between his fingers, hear the drip as little droplets fell onto the floor, and his mind told him how much he wanted to know it further.

Slowly, he brought his hands closer, seeing the bright crimson moving inch by inch. His breath held in anticipation, Alex's body trembled as the moment of truth was coming. As his hands came to just a few hairs away from him, his quivering muzzle opened itself, preparing to take what it was owed.

As his tongue made its way from his maw, he felt a surge of fulfillment course through his body as it neared his palms.

But it suddenly stopped, halted as a hand caught his wrist. Alex looked up from his appendages to notice a hybrid staring down at him, his expression one of concern, maybe even fear.

"I think that's enough," Jake said in a gruff whisper, his tone undeniably stern.

Alex's mind was then snapped back into reality, his eyes quivering as he looked at how close his hands actually were.

He let out a series of disgusted huffs, shaking his head all the while.

"I-I-I I'm fine, I'm fine," Alex managed to stammer out. "It's just... a lot to take in..."

"Well... we did it Alex... we got him..." Jake said it with such disbelief, almost making his red-furred friend question the authenticity of the victory.

"Yeah... that we did," Alex muttered, looking back towards the wolf's corpse.

"All those killers are now dead," Jake said, taking a long breath as he savored the moment, "we put down all the monsters this city had to offer." Alex's gaze quickly became aimless, that word striking into him like hot iron.

"No..." he whispered, standing up as he looked at his friend, becoming distraught as the horrible realization dawned on him. "There's still one more monster to put down..."

Without another word, his hand reached forward and grabbed one of the pistols Jack kept at his side. The wolf-hybrid tried to stop his friend, lunging forward with his quickest reflexes. But he was too late, too late to prevent Alex from pushing the gun up to the side of his own head and pulling the trigger.

* * *

><p>Alex awoke with a start. Nearly flying out of his bed with the ferocity he had as he lurched upward from his sheets.<p>

Frantically, he felt at the sides of his head, half expecting to find a wound of some kind there. Finding nothing, the hybrid attempted to stop his body from shaking while taking in the presence of his bedroom.

"Blasted nightmares," he growled, quickly becoming irritated as everything had passed. "I know what I am, why must I remind myself..." It was strange though, never before had he ever had a nightmare like that, not of that particular night. Even stranger was how his own mind would twist it into something so cruel, as if laughing at him.

But he was certain of what caused it. Not seeing it as a coincidence that the day before he had told his roommates of his past, telling them of the horrible things he had done.

And yet still he remained in their home. Why? It was all he could ask himself now.

Sitting still in his bed, Alex slowly moved a hand across his chest. He could still feel it, the strange sensation that had appeared so long ago. Having no idea what it was or what it meant, he felt confused, even frightened.

The hybrid growled angrily again, finding that his mind was beginning to tear itself apart from his own confusions.

* * *

><p>"So... what do you think?" Leo asked, stretching his arms behind his head as he walked down the stone pathway, Aeris by his side.<p>

The night before wasn't a particularly good one for the two felines. A sense of unease hung in the apartment, neither could sleep because of it and left them with a taste of drowsiness in the morning.

Both knew what it was from though, their crossbred friend. Or at least, their crossbred roommate. Though they had both agreed to not abandon Alex so quickly, it didn't mean they were able to just throw out what they had heard from him. Their time spent together now was offering them a chance to look inward and see how they really felt on the subject.

So they took the chance at a private walk through the park. It wasn't difficult to leave, Alex was held up in his room for the entire day, not even responding when they told him they were leaving through his locked door. Despite their conflicting confusions, it didn't stop Aeris from worrying about his well being.

"I don't know..." Aeris trailed off, looking up at the sky. It was midday, the sky above them was still a beautiful blue and the temperature was just right for people to be outdoors. Rather then answer his question however, the pink feline decided to turn it around. "How about you? You didn't seem all that happy about letting Alex stay." Leo paused a moment, as if thinking on the question. But soon, he gave a simple shrug.

"I was still a little shocked," he said, not being a deeply emotional thinker. "It's not everyday you find out that your friend is an ex-killer. I mean... it does make sense... when you think about it... But it still feels weird to realize that the guy could do something like that."

Aeris found herself nodding in agreement. Looking back, remembering all the time they spent with the hybrid, she just couldn't picture replacing the fun-loving crossbreed with a murderer.

"Well," she said, "I meant what I said yesterday. Neither of us can really understand what it would be like for him. I don't think he's danger or anything, and... I trust him." A frown crossed her face as she looked down at her feet. "Though... I can't help but think I'm only saying that because I ended up kissing him."

They both stopped in their tracks. Aeris' entire body froze, suddenly realizing what she had said, who she had said it to. Leo just looked surprised at her, his eyes losing the ability to blink as they became fixed on her. Aeris had just let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, now she wanted to slap herself for it.

"You and Alex... kissed?" It soon became Aeris' turn to be surprised. She had expected Leo's reaction to be much different, but all he really did was look at her quizzically, scratching his chin in thought. "When did that happen?"

With a sigh, Aeris explained it to him. The pink feline left out most of the details, simply saying that after they left the restaurant she ended up kissing him. Though she wasn't sure if Leo understood it was more of her kissing him, rather then the other way around. She even mentioned Alex's reaction, though putting it mildly to the fact he just up and left her.

"Hmm," Leo muttered as Aeris finished, his thinking look changing to a goofy smile. "Well, it's not like I can feel too bad about it, what with me and Kerissa heh-heh." Aeris gave him a flat look and growled to herself before they continued walking. They stayed in silence for sometime until Leo began scratching his head nervously. "So uh... did you two ever..." he trailed off, quickly finding his own fingers more interesting then finishing his question.

But he didn't need to, Aeris was quick to deduce what he was about to say. Just realizing it made her brow furrow into a furious glare.

"What! No, we most certainly have _not_!" Leo nearly toppled over as she vented.

"Okay okay, I get it" he said uneasily. Though he was playing with fire, he couldn't help but ask another question. "Did you ever think about it?"

Aeris paused upon hearing the question. Her eyes soon focused on Leo and shot him a deadly glare before the feline pinched the space between her eyes.

"God dammit Leo. Just keep your mouth shut and stop asking stupid questions." Showing his understanding, Leo nodded, but the gray cat did take notice to the fact she didn't answer the actual question.

Again, they returned to silence, taking in the scenery around them. But Leo felt compelled to ask something again, though he wasn't quite sure why.

"Have you ever thought about... us?" Aeris stopped walking again, turning to face Leo as he looked expectantly at her.

"I thought we agreed to never speak of that," she answered, crossing her arms as she eyed him intently.

"Not that specifically," Leo muttered, "just... in general." Aeris sighed wearily as she thought on it, frowning as the silence went on for sometime.

"We've already discussed this Leo," she finally said, eying the gray cat with a mild look. "Sure we have a lot of similarities. Hell, that's why a lot of people already assume we are... like that. But that's what makes us friends. And when you think about it, what else is there for us that would change if we did get into a relationship?"

"Well..." Leo muttered, looking down at the ground embarrassingly.

"Exactly," Aeris stated, "intimacy. We already spend all of our time together, we trust one another more then anyone else, we can rely on one another if we needed to. We've even hugged... if the moment was right for it. It's just that last part that crosses that thin line of friendship, and it's also what can break a friendship. And really, I'm not willing to risk what we have now for something I have no faith in." A smirk appeared on her face. "Though we are friends, I just don't trust you as good love material, someone else maybe, but definitely not you. And besides, don't you care for Kerissa?"

"Of course," Leo said, saying it though made him pause to think. "Well... I guess you're right. Spending time with her feels a lot different then when I spend time with you..." A sigh escaped Leo as he looked at his friend. "Man, when did you get so deep Aeris?"

"Hm," Aeris muttered while she thought on it. "I guess Alex is beginning to rub off on me."

"Speaking of him," Leo said, giving her his usual questioning gaze. "Did you ever think that Alex might make good 'love material'?"

"W-what?" Aeris was caught off guard at the sudden question. "I... Dammit Leo, do you not listen? I already said no."

"Yeah, but you did kiss him right? You must have thought _something_." Aeris growled to herself angrily, she hated it whenever Leo was able to think logically.

"I don't really know," she huffed, "maybe... maybe I thought _something_ would come of it... But Alex already voiced his opinion, he isn't interested, and I'm fine with that. I don't think he's the relationship type."

"Huh," Leo muttered, beginning to remember something that the hybrid had said to him once. "Alex once said how he only saw such relationships as inevitably ending in pain, not being worth what happiness it could bring. It's a bit sad when you think about it... but I guess given his past it makes sense why he would look at it that way." Aeris looked at her friend strangely, running through her mind what she had just heard.

"_So that's what he thinks..._" she thought. Then something dawned on her. "_But wait... if that's the reason..._ t_hen... could that mean he might actually-_" Her train of thought was cut off as the two friends heard the cheering of a small crowd ahead of them.

Curious, they followed the commotion to where the park's large fountain stood. People crowded around on the pavement as they looked at something with awe.

Getting closer, Aeris and Leo were able to see what everyone was looking at. A white fox juggling knives. Aeris recognized the white face shrouded in the hood instantly and the routine was even more of an obvious giveaway.

Leo clapped his hands excitedly as he looked on with amazement. Joey was picking up speed with his juggling, a smirk on his face as he eyed the crowd. Then, with ease, he tossed the knives high up into the air.

Joey then quickly got onto the ground and preformed a handstand. Adding to the stance, he lifted one arm off the ground and held onto his hood, leaving only one hand supporting him. The crowd kept their eyes on the knives as they fell. But rather then stab their thrower, the first knife to fall stuck itself into the sole of Joey's shoe. A second fell and landed on the other, mirroring the other. A third then fell, but rather then hitting his feet, Joey caught the knife in mid-air by simply pressing two fingers together. Just as the last knife fell, the fox tumbled back, thudded his back against the pavement, and caught the knife in his mouth before it landed.

The crowed clapped their hands enthusiastically at the display, clearly impressed.

"Thank you, thank you," Joey said, standing up and giving a courteous bow. Having earned it, the spectators dropped money into the small tin at their feet, their faces still full of amusement as they walked off.

"That certainly was a show," Aeris said with a smile. Though they missed all but one trick, she couldn't help but feel impressed.

"Ah," Joey beamed, noticing the cat. "If it isn't my favorite feline friend. It's certainly a delight to see you again Aeris." He then nodded toward his tin, filled with currency of both metal and paper. "I must also thank you for the advice, much better then the spot where we met."

"You were really great!" Leo blurted out, unable to contain his excitement. The fox looked at him strangely for a moment, his eyes moving up and down the cat.

"Huh, is this the friend I've heard you mentioned before." Aeris shook her head.

"No, though he is a friend. His name's Leo."

"Pleasure to meet you Leo, the name's Joey," he said with a smile, shaking Leo's hand.

"How do you two know each other?" the gray cat then asked, eying his friend and the fox.

"As chance would have it," Joey replied, "we met on the streets as I preformed. My first spectator of the evening." He looked away from Leo for a moment to face Aeris. "As I recall, you did have a bit of trouble with a certain friend you mentioned. Tell me, have things fared well?"

"Well he..." Aeris began, thinking on what she was about to say, "he told us of the secrets he's been keeping. Now we seem to be having a little trouble coming to terms with them." Joey nodded his head slowly, listening carefully to what she was saying.

"Ah... well.. to know all there is to know about someone can be a burden. But what most don't see is how it can be a boon. Secrets are what the truly evil use to hide themselves, to know their secrets is to know who they truly are. Maybe your friend holds great trust with you, allowing you to see who _he_ is."

The cats thought about what the fox had said, mostly Aeris however as Leo was began eying Joey strangely.

"Just as insightful as ever," Aeris commented, finding a bit of comfort in what he was meaning.

"Entertainers _can_ be enlightening," he replied with a smile. "I would very much like to meet this friend you keep mentioning as well, he sounds... interesting."

"Maybe someday," the cat responded, beginning to walk away with Leo. "See you around Joey, good luck with the preforming."

"Adieu for now Aeris, Leo." The arctic fox then returned to his original post, slowly beginning to juggle his knives once again as passing people stopped to watch.

"Seems a bit odd," Leo eventually said, giving one last glance toward the fox. "A talker too, would probably talk our ears off if given the right subject..." Aeris' ears perked up as she listened to him.

"What did you say?" Leo simply shrugged.

"Nothing really... Though something about him seems a bit... I don't know... like I've met him before."

Aeris gave a slight nod, remembering the old feeling when she first ran into the fox. She still wasn't sure what was causing it as she was certain she had never seen the fox prior to that time on the sidewalk. But still, it didn't stop her from thinking otherwise, with no idea what to place on it. Like a word that hung on the tip of her tongue.

* * *

><p>Aeris sat quietly in her room, siting down in her gaming chair as the only sound made in the room was of her game playing and the gentle hum of her 360. It was a nice, simple game that didn't require her to be overly hyped up to play, a perfect relaxing tool for her.<p>

But the mellow nature of it all forced her to realize the small amount of hunger that was growing inside her stomach. Aeris paused the game as the idea of getting a little something to eat was sounding better and better. While normally she wasn't one for snacking, she knew it was okay to indulge oneself every now and then.

The rest of the apartment was just as quite as Aeris left her room. Leo had gone to his own bedroom as well, but no sound could be heard coming from behind the door. All the pink cat could assume was that her roommate had gone to bed early, still drowsy from the poor sleep he had the previous night. She was reminded of it even more as her jaw quivered through a yawn.

However entering the kitchen caused Aeris to jump on the spot in sudden startled jolt. It was Alex, sitting down at the table. He didn't have anything, he wasn't even doing anything. The hybrid simply sat there, in a posture of deep thought, giving the wall facing him a thousand yard stare. His gaze was broken momentarily as his eyes shifted toward Aeris, focusing on her before returning to their original blank stare.

Not saying anything, Aeris walked around him and looked through the cupboards. With a quick search, she found a chocolate pudding. Grabbing a spoon, Aeris opened the pudding cup and tasted the chocolate splendor.

The feline couldn't help but look at Alex as she slowly ate her snack, watching him as he stared off into space.

"Do you remember those dogs that attacked us?" he asked, his voice becoming monotone. Aeris was mildly surprised by the question, both by how out of nowhere it was and the reason for the question itself. There hadn't been an exceptionally long time since the event, not enough time to easily forget.

"Yeah, I guess," Aeris shrugged.

"You were scared, weren't you?" Immediately, the pink cat became defensive.

"No, I wasn't scared!" Alex's blank expression was broken as he raised an eyebrow, starring at her and remaining silent. Aeris gave a light growl of annoyance as she realized he was waiting for her. "Fine, yeah sure, I was a little scared."

"Why?"

"Ugh," Aeris grumbled in annoyed sarcasm, "I don't know, maybe I'm just not used to being randomly attacked by a pack of canines." She then felt a small chill on her back as Alex's bright yellow eyes fixed on her.

"What _exactly_ where you afraid of?"

"I..." Aeris hesitated, unable to figure out a reason for the question. "What the dogs where planning to do to you... and me. It's not like I've ever been in a situation like that before, I just... didn't know how to react. And I guess I was frightened of..."

"Me?"

"What?" Aeris asked, shocked. "N-no no Alex, you were protecting us, you-"

'Frightened you. Please Aeris, you don't need to lie to me. I remember seeing your face when you saw me, after those dogs nearly finished me off." His eyes dropped their locked gaze on the feline, drifting off to again stare at a random spot in the kitchen. "It doesn't surprise me though, I know how I look when I get like that..."

"'Like that'?" She didn't understand what it meant. At first, Alex merely sighed, rubbing his eyes before looking back at her.

"I told you about hybrid mutations, right? Well, there was one I neglected to tell you about... There's no name for it, but it's a genetic defect found in crossbreeds who cross between the larger scope of species, like I'm a mix of a feline and canine. Those kinds of crosses bring a defect in our adrenal glands, causing our bodies to create an overabundance of adrenaline when it's typically called upon, like an enhanced fight or flight respnose. As such, anger problems occur as well, making it easy to lose control and just let your anger take over. It's very dangerous... When I first found out about it, I was fourteen. A group of older kids were harassing me and my brother. I got upset and blacked out, when I came to, I ended up sending three of the kids to the hospital, one nearly died. I... won't ever forget Max's face, how terrified he was of me, his own brother."

"Your brother and Jake cross that way too don't they..." Aeris muttered, realizing Jake's species fell in the category.

"Yeah," Alex muttered, "but Max was far too young to show signs of it, it isn't until puberty when it starts to show itself. And Jake... well, I don't think he ever gets angry enough to trigger it, so I don't even know if he can." The hybrid rested a hand against the side of his head, clearly becoming distraught.

"To think though, in reality... we truly are different from pure-bloods. We're called freaks, beasts, animals and yet... what have I done to prove them otherwise? I failed to protect my family from Frost and his men, so I avenged them, hunting down the very monsters that destroyed my life... And all throughout it, it wasn't until it was all over did I realize how much I was losing myself, how I was slowly turning into the very thing those people saw me as. They called our kind monsters... and that's what I ended up becoming, no better then the people I was killing... It's clear when those around you just end up fearing you..."

Shaking his head, Alex stood up from the table and faced toward the bedrooms.

"Think I'll turn in early," the hybrid stated, sighing out the words dejectedly. But Aeris wouldn't have it. Just as Alex took a step away from her, she reached out and grabbed him by the wrist.

"Alex, don't say such things," she said firmly, her gaze as hardened as her iron grip. "You're not some kind of monster, you're not one of _them_." At first, Alex just looked at her. He could see the concern on her face, attempting to hide behind her natural tough exterior. He could hear the care in her voice, something he was still surprised to get from her.

"Aeris... I..." he tried saying, unable to say what he needed to. Realizing it was futile, he paused and took a deep breath. "Good night Aeris."

She let go of his hand, allowing him to walk away into his room. Alone, the pink feline looked back at the pudding she left on the counter. Finding that she was no longer hungry, she tossed it out and went to her own room. There was a moment when Aeris stopped to look at Alex's door, almost as if she was expecting something to happen. After the moment passed, she gave a shake of her head before going into her own room.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Implied stuff is the best stuff! Just saying.**

**Quick question. Now, assuming that the old saying is true that crazy people don't know they're crazy... does being fearful that you've finally lost your mind make you sane? Think about _that_ for a second... **

**Really, that question has implications both in this chapter and for myself.**

**Because quite frankly, I think I'm losing my sanity.**

_**What sanity?**_

**Exactly. Now, if you've seen Chapter 32. And I mean, come on. You can't just skip chapters like that, that isn't how you follow plot... **

**Okay so yeah, I ended up getting these pills that I can munch on like candy to help me out. Though I think I should be worried that the Doctor I got them from works out of a busted down bus on a long dead farm... But I've figured, either something _really_ good is going to happen, or something _really_ bad.**

**Sadly though, I don't have a lot. _But_, I'm sure I can make them last until the end of this fanfic... (cough)**

**Oh yes, and if you've noticed, this chapter has come out a lot faster then usual. (especially when you consider 31 and 32) Though it might be surprising to you... this chapter was actually supposed to be done much sooner. But for some reason... my laptop decided it wasn't going to be a team player and let me use the interwebs. My desktop however has been just fine... so yeah, he pulls his weight... I think it's my router, though I'm not a hundred percent yet.**

**Now you may be saying what that has to do with anything, well... I am completely OCD (not really OCD but you know what I mean) when it comes to writing... And without going too far into detail, without the internets I couldn't write for shit.**

**Oh! Fun fact, the term letting the cat out of the bag, (besides being hilarious with this context) has to do with whips. See? You learn shit with me.**

**Anyway, 34 is a comin, prepare thyself!**


	34. A Calm

**Chapter 34: A Calm**

"All those killers are now dead," Jake said, taking a long breath as he savored the moment, "we put down all the monsters this city had to offer." Alex's gaze quickly became aimless, that word striking into him like hot iron.

"No..." he whispered, standing up as he looked at his friend, becoming distraught as the horrible realization dawned on him. "There's still one more monster to put down..."

Without another word, his hand reached forward and grabbed one of the pistols Jake kept at his side. The wolf-hybrid tried to stop his friend, lunging forward with his quickest reflexes. But he was too late, too late to prevent Alex from pushing the gun up to the side of his own head and pulling the trigger.

But it didn't fire into its intended target.

A hand caught the hybrid by the wrist and yanked forward, bringing the gun from his head and causing it to fire into the ceiling.

Alex's gaze jerked toward the hand that prevented him from carrying out what he knew needed to be done. His eyes widened as he saw the bright pink fur of the hand still locked around his wrist.

The hand connected to an arm, and following the limb led Alex to looking into the pink face of a cat. Her hardened gaze forced Alex's eyes to lock onto hers.

"Alex, don't say such things," she said firmly. "You're not some kind of monster, you're not one of _them_."

Then Alex saw him as well, Leo, standing next to his pink friend. The faces of the two cats looked at him with comforting concern. All Alex could do was gape at them, his body beginning to tremble, unable to take what he was being presented.

* * *

><p>Leo exited his room with a satisfied smile, his pocket weighed down by the 3DS he dropped within it.<p>

Not being particularly hungry for breakfast that morning, the gray cat stayed in bed upon waking. He was in a gaming mood and realized he still had many games to catch up on. Since nearly a month ago he had purchased a nice stack of games for his newest gaming device. However, the drama that had fitted itself in the apartment as of late prevented him from getting in the mood.

It actually surprised the cat that he wasn't interrupted from his gaming as time went by. Neither Aeris or Alex knocking on his door to see what he was doing. Though the surprise didn't last long as he remembered the mood his two friends seemed to be in the last times he saw them.

Now he was heading to the kitchen, feeling a need for a pause in gaming to find something to eat. Lunch time was coming by and a sandwich was sounding better and better.

Leo expected to see one or both of his roommates around, doing their own thing as the day went by. But neither of them were in direct sight of him as he moved through the living room, there wasn't even evidence of anyone being in the apartment for the entire day.

The feeling of seclusion was short lived however as Leo entered the kitchen and found Alex sitting at the table. A cup of coffee was in the hybrid's hand as he used the other to prop his head up, his eyelids drooping down in a expression of drowsiness. Looking at the nearby pot, Leo could see the light line of brown around the glass container, showing how full it was originally From the looks of it, he had made a full pot, now there was only a small puddle left, making the feline think on how many refills the crossbreed had had.

"Oh Leo, good morning," Alex muttered, seeing the cat come into view.

"Uh," Leo said somewhat awkwardly, "it's twelve thirty." Alex looked surprised and turned his gaze toward the nearby clock.

"Oh... I guess it is."

"Something wrong?" the feline asked, moving toward the fridge and searching for the items he needed for his sandwich. Though Leo didn't see it, Alex shook his head.

"No, just haven't sleeping well lately."

"Hm," Leo mumbled, finding the slices of deli turkey and now searching for mayonnaise. "Where's Aeris anyway, she go somewhere?"

"Still asleep I guess, haven't seen her."

"She sleep with you again?" Leo smirked as he heard a sudden choking sound and the splatter of spit-up coffee hit the table.

"No," Alex coughed out.

"Ah, here it is," Leo said, pulling out the rest of his ingredients and heading for the bread. It didn't take him very long to assemble his chosen lunch and sit down at the table.

The next several minutes were spent with the two friends simply staring at one another. Leo occasional lifted his sandwich up to take a small bite, while Alex lifted up his mug to take a small sip.

"So," Leo said, breaking the silence, "how many bad guys would say you've taken out?"

"What?" Alex asked, looking at the cat with confusion.

"Well if we're going to know about that other side of you, I wana know some details."

"Ugh, I don't know... more then a few," Alex managed to say, waving his hand off in an uncaring manner.

"How long were you doing it?"

"A few years." Alex was beginning to wonder how much of his story Leo actual heard.

"Did Jake help out a lot?"

"I'll assume you mean with the killing. Yeah, he had his share." Leo slowly nodded his head, thinking of one big detail about the wolf-hybrid.

"So that's why he has all those guns?"

"No, they were different ones. But he found his fascination with them while he used them more often. Used a wide range of them for different situations. Hell, he acted as a sniper once to take out some guys exchanging money in this warehouse we were hitting. One tried to run away, Jake got him before he reached the exit."

"Wow," Leo breathed, eyes filled with astonishment, "that sounds awesome." The hybrid then looked at his roommate with utter shock.

"Awesome? Jesus Leo... it wasn't 'awesome'. This wasn't some stupid ass game or movie. We killed people Leo, ended lives, spilled blood. That's nothing like what you'd think it is."

Leo looked at Alex for a moment, frowning slightly as he made sure he wasn't going to set him off.

"Well..." he muttered, "you did say they were all horrible people... So you killing them... it was a good thing, wasn't it?"

Alex's expression seemed to freeze on the spot. He could only stare at the feline as he took in what he had just heard. Then, with a sigh, his head dropped down to look at the table. An expression of shame written on his face.

"Only if it's for the right reasons." Heaving another sigh, the hybrid got up from the table and put his mug in the sink. "I'm... going outside... need some fresh air." Without another word, he walked out of the apartment, leaving Leo to ponder whether or not he had said something wrong.

* * *

><p>Aeris slumped in her gaming chair, her finger repeatedly tapping on the book that was beside her. She was becoming agitated now.<p>

Agitated by all of the confusing thoughts she ended up piling on herself. She was getting fed up with having to sit down and think about what was going on around her. But she had to.

Ever since she had woken up, the pink feline felt herself going into a stupor. She tried playing games, quickly finding them to be useless in improving her mood. Even reading one of her favorite books couldn't help her.

It was what Leo had said the day before, mentioning Alex's views on relationships. What he had said brought a great deal of clarity to her mind, maybe too much.

Much of it stemmed from the hybrid's decision about their own relationship. After kissing him out of the blue, he made it clear that they could only ever be friends. But was that choice really what he wanted, or did he see any choice at all?

Aeris could remember even how back when they first met, Alex was very reluctant about accepting their friendship. At first, Aeris simply saw it as him being weary about letting people know what he was. Now, she saw it as Alex's desire to avoid letting anyone close. But could she blame him for developing such a mentality?

She had heard his story, every painful detail he could manage to tell them. Remembering the points of Kerkrin and the bulldog shop owner, how anyone who seemed to get close to him either betrayed him or died. Jake's own friendship was brought on by a common interest, helping it grow into what it is now.

Now all Aeris could think about was whether or not the hybrid had lied to her that day.

Slowly, the pink cat found her eyes drifting toward a shelf on her wall. A simple enough piece of furniture that held onto a few figures she had, a few games she had no place for anywhere else, and on the very end was a stuffed toy.

With a quizzical tilt of her head, Aeris stood up and walked over to the shelf, eying the toy with interest.

It was the cat Alex had won in the carnival, winning it from a game he excelled at due to his past, it's gray fur still reminiscent to an old friend. He had given it to her, perhaps the action was a simple gesture, but for that instant he had thought only of her.

Thinking of the toy brought back the memories of the rest of that day. It had started off poorly, her foul mood brought on by her hatred of the husky her best friend was seeing. Then, it was stopped, halted by a hybrid's words that spoke with wisdom and sincerity. Alex had mentioned Leo's thoughts on their friendship, thinking of it as something more. The thought seemed like a laughable thing, but somehow Aeris found a liking to the idea.

Such an interest continued even through that carnival as they visited it as a way to have a good time. If she were to be so bold, Aeris might even think of it as a first date, they certainly behaved like it was one. It then took at sharp turn on that wheel, as Aeris nearly lost her mind and made a fool of herself in front of him.

Again though, her thoughts played back to what Alex had said on Leo's own thoughts. Her closest friend, someone she could rely on for anything, had actually looked at her and Alex as a possible couple. Why exactly, she wasn't sure, but maybe she could find out.

Making her decision, Aeris turned away from the stuffed animal and left her room, quickly finding that the rest of the apartment was just as silent as she was.

Leo was found in the living room, his feet propped up on an armrest while he played his 3DS. His eyes left the screen for a moment as he looked at the approaching pink cat.

"Ah, Aeris," he said with mild surprise, "there you are. Thought you were planning to hold yourself up in your room all day or something."

"Just wanted some time to myself," Aeris replied. She walked over and sat down on the only remaining couch cushion.

Leo noticed the awkward stance his friend had as she sat near him, her feet shuffling slightly on the floor and the uneasy way she held her arms. As though sensing that something was about to happen, Leo shut off his handheld and sat upright.

"Uh... Leo..." Aeris began, speaking as awkwardly as she looked, "well, I heard about how you once thought that me and Alex... were getting together." The gray cat looked at her with shock.

"W-wait, how did you... Well, I-I didn't mean anything by it, I swear." Leo began flinching somewhat, half expecting to receive a good smack for having such thoughts.

"It's okay, I'm not mad at you," Aeris replied, almost smiling at his reaction. It caused Leo's expression to dramatically shift to one of astonished optimism. "I just... want to know why. What made you think that?" The gray cat said nothing at first, his eyes drifting off as he scratched his chin in thought.

"Well... you two got along really well. I've even caught him staring at you a few times... I was a little... bothered by it at first, but I grew to trust Alex and saw how you acted around him too. You two just seemed... happy around each other. Kerissa even thought you two were getting together in secret. And just as I told Alex when he found out what I thought, I really don't mind it at all. Even with Alex's past, I'd much rather have you together with him rather then some strange guy who's probably a jerk, I at least know Alex is cool."

Aeris simply looked at Leo for a moment, his words still running through her mind. As she fully took what he said in, the pink feline gave a small smile to her friend. Then, Leo was taken by surprise as Aeris leaned forward and grabbed him in a hug, feeling his back being crushed from how tight it was.

"Thank you Leo," Aeris said pleasantly.

"Uh... no problem...?" Leo managed to say, still surprised by the gesture.

"Where's Alex now anyway?" she then asked, breaking away from the embrace.

"Outside," Leo answered, nodding toward the door, "said he wanted some fresh air. He's been out there for a few hours though." Aeris was quick to get up and move toward the door upon hearing the answer.

"I'm going to go check on him then, see if he's alright."

Then Aeris was gone, leaving Leo alone once again. His first few moments of seclusion were then spent on try to figure out what had just happened, but he was unable to make heads or tails of his friend's behavior. The silence became so thick in the apartment, Leo nearly jumped out of his skin as the phone's blaring ring sounded through the apartment, forcing the cat to quickly retrieve the noisy contraption.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Leo! How's my loving little kitty doing?"

"Kerissa!" Leo exclaimed, knowing her beautiful voice anywhere. It then made him realize that he hadn't spoken to his girlfriend for the last few days, making him somewhat worried.

"Is everything okay with Alex now?" she asked, inquiring about his mood toward Jake. It confused Leo at first, the injured wolf-hybrid looking like a distant memory after what happened the other day.

"Oh, yeah, he got a lot better. Things are still a bit... crazy around here though, but nothing to really worry about."

"That's wonderful," the husky said cheerfully. "I'm actually really sorry about not talking to you in so long too honey, but I do have some _wonderful_ news to make up for it."

"Oh? What is it?"

"Well..." she paused, building the suspense, "I'm finally done! Yup, my employer has finally been satisfied with my work and I'm now a free girl. That means no more distractions that will keep us apart."

"Wow," the feline gasped, elated at the news, "that's wonderful, I know how stressful it was for you."

"Yes... but don't think I didn't notice how bad it was for you too. Having to deal with me and my poor schedule. Speaking of which, are you busy by any chance?"

"No, Aeris and Alex are off together somewhere outside, and I don't have any immediate plans."

"That's great!" Kerrisa said happily, sounding more and more excited. "Don't you dare move one muscle, I'll be over shortly so we can celebrate our new found time together."

"Celebrate? How?"

"Oh, the same way any girl should when her man is so patient with her. Let's just say... this is going to be a night you'll _never_ forget." Leo's cheeks began to burn as he stared blankly at the wall. Just how she had said it, so sensuous with that loving voice of hers, the feline could barely keep a grip on the phone.

"O-okay," he managed to say, finding his voice box had quickly shut down.

"Wonderful, I'll be there shortly my sweet little kitty cat." She hung up and Leo found himself frozen on the spot, the phone still locked in his unmoving grip. If it wasn't for the intense warmth in his face, he would have been certain he actually was frozen.

Leo's thoughts were fixated on exactly what their 'celebration' would entail, still hearing her voice playing off in his head.

* * *

><p>Alex took in several deep breaths of the open air, his back leaning against the side of the apartment complex. The outside world looked abandoned as no one else could be seen walking the streets, not even the humming engines of passing cars existed. There was a reason for it, just as the hybrid stared upward into the sky.<p>

A thick blanket of gray clouds covered what should have been a blue sky. Adding to it was a chilly wind that blew passed. A storm was coming.

Really, the hybrid didn't care. Though he couldn't say the rain itself didn't bother him, always creating an itch in the back of his neck, his split instincts telling him to avoid it. The calming serenity at least brought a welcomed comfort.

It was that very peace that allowed him to easily hear the soft footfall next to him. A slight turn of his head caught the sight of pink fur as a feline stood at the complex's entrance.

They said nothing, Alex simply returned to his cloud gazing. Aeris approached him, joining him against the wall while following his upward gaze. Even though Aeris hated the signs of a coming storm with a passion, even she couldn't deny that there was a satisfying sense of peace.

"I want to know something," Alex said, still not looking at the cat.

"What?" Aeris replied.

"What makes you so different?" The feline looked confused at the question, not understanding what he meant by it.

"Excuse me?"

"What makes you so different from anyone else I've met? For so long, I've had to deal with what I am, knowing how it casts me out from so many. I've seen happy smiles shift to glares of contempt, just because half of me isn't the fox they expected. I've had my name cursed many times, just because my mother wasn't a vixen. I've even had people try and do harm to me, just because I have stripes on my body." Aeris felt an expecting gaze on her as Alex faced her. "But you... you both accepted me without pause. Now, even after all I've told you, all of the horrible things I've done, you still stand by my side. Why? Why do you do this? Why become such a contrast to what this world is?"

Aeris looked at her friend, showing a face of sympathy. She knew the hybrid hated such a sentiment, but it was all she could do.

"The world isn't as bad as you think," she said, "not everyone in world hates what you are." Alex huffed to himself as he crossed his arms.

"But enough people are," he grumbled glaring down at the pavement. "And hunting down murderers doesn't exactly turn you into an optimist. You know... all throughout the time we hunted Frost and his men... I never once thought of a time when it would all be over. To actually think of the future and what I would do if I were to succeed. It was after Jake and I agreed to stop this that I realized how Frost had truly won. I realized how nothing had actually changed... "

The hybrid let out a saddened sigh, his glare shifting to an expression of hopelessness.

"He had still taken my life, the killing didn't bring my family back. Ever since I first decided to avenge them, I felt this horrible burning in the pit of my chest... searing my very essence with the need to take revenge on those who destroyed my life. And yet... even after I did just that... it didn't stop. I still felt that burning, even after I moved here to try and make a life for myself. The sad truth of it is though, I have no life to live. Just as I was when I was thrown to the streets, escaping that burning building that was once my home... I have nothing..."

"That's not true," Aeris said, her voice almost a whisper. "You have people who care about you Alex. You have Jake, you have Leo, and you..." she paused, reaching out her hand and grasping Alex's in a tender hold, "have me."

Alex stared at her, his gaze unblinking as she held his hand. He tried saying something, but quickly found his voice becoming mute, only making his lips quiver to attempt forming sound. Finally, after swallowing a large lump in his throat, he found his shambled voice again.

"I... I don't..." he tried saying, but was soon stopped as Aeris placed a finger on the tip of his muzzle.

"Please Alex," she said, her gaze meeting his and locking in place, "you don't have to say anything."

They soon found themselves moving forward, so subtly that they couldn't even tell it was happening until they were just breaths away. For the longest time, they just stared into each others eyes, sharing a moment just like the one before.

But their moment didn't last. It was broken, shattered as the horrific sound of screeching tires tore into their peaceful surroundings. The source of the noise, a large van that raced toward them.

The brakes of the vehicle barely slowed it down. The two friends both jumped out of it's path, fearing that it would strike them. But the van stopped just at it reached them, the engine still humming as it wasn't turned off. Then, the doors flung open, releasing nearly a dozen men.

Within moments, Aeris and Alex were surrounded. The attackers then lunged at them, two grabbed onto Alex and attempted forcing him to the ground. The hybrid wasn't an easy target however, quickly raising a foot up to strike one of his holders in the chest, loosening his grip and then receiving a powerful uppercut to the jaw. The second didn't stand a chance as Alex brought a fist into the center of his face, breaking the nose and sending the attacker spiraling onto the ground.

Aeris had her own troubles, just barely jumping back from a grab by one of the assailants. The dodge allowed her to bring a leg up and catch him between the legs, as he was on his knees in pain, she swept her leg up and struck him across the head. A second attack managed to grab her from behind, a bad mistake as Aeris elbowed him straight into the kidney. Before collapsing, the attacker received a second elbow into the face, fully knocking him out and onto the pavement with a crash.

Just as she was about to attack another assaulter, Aeris felt her arms grabbed onto and jerked behind her by an unknown attacker. The furious pink feline was already preparing to injure them, but she was stopped, her body freezing as she felt the cold blade of a knife pressed against her throat.

Subdued, Aeris was forced to face Alex, the hybrid readying to slash his claws into another defeated enemy. But as his eyes fell onto Aeris' captor, he stopped, staring at them with wide eyes. As his gaze fell onto the cat herself, noticing the knife poised to take her life, he growled angrily before lowering his arms, defeated.

Then without warning, a syringe was plunged into Aeris' neck, the fluid within being injected immediately. Mere moments later, Aeris's eyes began to flutter as her muscles became weak. Her eyes then closed, with her head bobbing lifelessly to the side.

With another growl of fury, Alex charged forward at the one who had his friend, but he was stopped as a hulking figure stepped forward. Having no time to react, Alex was helpless as a mighty fist swung up and struck him in the chest.

The sheer force of the blow lifted Alex's feet inches off of the ground. The hybrid came down hard, landing on his knees with his arms wrapped around his chest. It felt as though his organs were smashed into pancakes, his breathing cut off from him.

It didn't even register to him as another attacker stepped behind him, striking the back of his head with a pistol.

Then there was only darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: (puts book down) Ah, there you are. Finished the chapter have you? Well good.**

**So yeah, some interesting things have happened. A little of this, a little of that. More words that don't even explain this chapter... A lot of stuff.**

**I'm actually happy too, since this chapter and last chapter haven't taken forever to make and put up. **

**Not to mention, I realized something on Saturday. How amazing a murder-suicide is in a cartoon... yeah... then to see it pretty much ruined by some deus ex machina bullshit... You guys know what I'm talking about. (guys who know what I'm talking about)**

**OH! And what is this? An attack on two of our characters, say it isn't so! Oh gosh! And Kerissa is coming over soon too! Has she witnessed the attack? Will she run into the attackers along the way and be attacked herself? Will she or Leo even realize that their friends were abducted? Or will Leo be too lost in the pleasures only a husky can give to even notice! **

**Tune in next time! Same Crossings time, same Crossings channel. **


	35. The Storm

**Chapter 35: The Storm**

Aeris slowly gained consciousness.

The first thing her mind took in were voices she couldn't make out and a constant heavy thud that was followed by a rasped groan. Then, as her senses fully returned to her, the feline realized the stiffness in her body. It took only a few moments for her to feel the ropes that bound her, tying her to the chair she was sat on with her hands behind the back.

Her eyes slowly opened, taking in her surroundings. The room she was in was large, crates and cardboard boxes were strewn about. Cold concrete made up the floor and walls, the ceiling was wooden with several beams keeping it in tact. Aeris could only assume they were in a cellar of some kind.

Now, the noises she had heard previously were much clearer. In fact, she realized they were right next to her.

Only keeping her eyes opened to slits, Aeris looked out to see the sight of two men standing over another chair. They hadn't noticed the cat's awakening, being focused on who was tied down in front of them, Alex.

The hybrid was bound just as Aeris was. His gaze was one of defiance, not showing an iota of fear against his captors. His stance didn't falter, even as the two men attacked him.

They took turns, each plowing their fists into Alex's chest, forcing more grunts of pain from him with each blow. Occasionally, they made a strike of anger across his face, an attempt to keep him quite as the hybrid continuously goaded them with comparisons of their blows to that of little girls and insults toward their mothers. The damage was showing however, two easy to spot cuts in his lip were already turning parts of his white muzzle red.

"Ugh, can't we just sew his mouth shut?" one of the men growled, his breathing becoming heavy from their prolonged exercise.

"You were given your orders," a voice from within the room called, "you are to just keep the freak roughed up until the boss comes. I suggest you follow them." Both men looked toward the source, Aeris slowly shifted her head slightly, seeing a figure standing a small distance away, observing the spectacle.

A large brown-furred bear stood there. The most obvious trait about him was his sheer size alone, the massive creature was easily twice the size of them all, a being of pure muscle. The bear was dressed well, wearing a fine suit, minus the jacket. Aeris noticed two other things on him. On the left side of his face, four scars ran down the entirety of it, parallel to one another, appearing to be from a set of claws. Another mark on him was written on the back of the bear's hand, a tattoo of an icy blue F.

"Fine," the man grunted. Then, his attention was brought back to Alex as he began snickering.

"Yeah that's right Goldilocks," he said, looking at the man with an amused smile, "you do what Papa Bear tells ya now." The man's face twisted into a look of rage as stomped toward the hybrid.

"That's it," he snapped, reaching into his pocket and grabbing a switch blade, the other hand grabbing onto Alex's jaw, "I'll cut his tongue out! The boss can have the rest!"

The man was about to stick the blade into the hybrid's mouth, but he was stopped. A loud bang sounded and the man was thrown onto the floor, a pool of blood circling around him quickly. All eyes in the room turned toward the bear, a large revolver in hand as it was aimed exactly where the man's head used to be.

"Some just never learn to listen," he said, shaking his head disapprovingly before stowing the gun away. The second man was already stepping away, his gaze set on the body.

"Well isn't that a stroke of hypocrisy," Alex muttered, looking down at the corpse. "When _I_ do that, it's such a _big_ deal. But when _you_ do it Vincent, there's no problem." At that, the bear known as Vincent stepped forward, his eyes set in a glare.

"Don't you dare speak as though we are equals, half-breed." Alex smirked at the sudden spike of anger.

"Oh come now, don't be upset. So what if I infiltrated your little club and wiped out nearly every other member, you should feel lucky you got away. Speaking of which, would you like me to touch that scar up for you? Maybe I can do it to the other side too, you know, make your face a little more... symmetrical." The bear let out a low growl, stepping closer to the restrained crossbreed with his hand up, ready to strike him with all of his fury. But he stopped, freezing in place as his head turned toward the door at the end of the room. Alex's gaze was there as well, focusing on its threshold and the wolf that stood within it.

There was no question as to who he was, Elijah Frost, architect to the murders of Alex's family.

The wolf's fur was a dark gray, he was dressed in a clean dark blue suit that was without flaw. He appeared aged, easily looking to be no less then his mid-fifties. A wooden cane was in his hand, the top adorned with a diamond. As he approached them, Aeris could see a noticeable limp in his right leg.

Standing before Alex, the wolf looked down on him, his eyes burning with disdain.

"You know Alexander," he said, his deep growl of a voice brimming with malevolence, "you've brought me great pain."

As if to spit in the serious air Frost's appearance created, Alex chuckled and smiled at the canine.

"Exactly what pain are we talking about?" he asked. "The physical pain where I almost crippled you? Or the emotional pain when you found out how I carved your son up like a Thanksgiving turkey?"

Frost's expression didn't change, only his eyes narrowed on the hybrid. Then, he raised up his cane and struck Alex across the face. Aeris could feel droplets of blood splatter onto her.

"You would do well to keep your mouth shut," Frost warned.

"Sorry," Alex groaned, "but Jake isn't here, and I'm... his understudy." There was a glint in the wolf's eyes then, he grunted in amusement as he continued to stare down at the hybrid.

"And where is your dear accomplice now? Perhaps the hospital bed we left him in after we caught up with him on his way here. Surprises even me that he was able to survive the crash we set him in, at least the ignorant law here couldn't see that it was all set up." Alex's gaze was now one of anger as a low growl rumbled in his throat.

"So _you_did that to him. I knew he would never get himself into such a situation!"

"Yes... well, I couldn't let go of the chance to catch him alone. Of course he put up a valiant struggle, but inevitably, the Lord's light shined upon us that day. And now I can finally deal with you, tonight your filth will be purged from this world. Just as I will for all of your unholy kind."

"That's bullshit!" Alex barked. "Don't attempt to justify your actions through the nonexistent God you follow! Revenge is what brought you here!"

"Hmph," the wolf huffed, "perhaps there are other reasons for you being here... but it's all God's work in the end."

"Dammit Frost, nearly two years have passed since I last saw you! You ran from us and we gave up the search, only for you to show up now! I wanted to let go, to forget all of this! Why couldn't you?" A laugh escaped the wolf then, while a smile crossed his muzzle afterward.

"Oh Alexander, you try so hard to think you were forgotten by me. Did you think I would forget what you did to my son, to my men? No no no, I never forgot. And there was no possibility in me allowing a creature such as you to continue corrupting our world." His gaze moved toward Aeris, her heart skipped, thinking he would see through her ruse. "But even I can't say I expected for you to try and corrupt another..." He approached the 'unconscious' cat, it was all Aeris could do to keep her facade going, keeping her body as lifeless as possible. Frost then raised his cane and used it to lift her head up to face him, Aeris could feel warm blood still clinging to its tip. "Such a pretty face... shame she had to drift from her kind."

"Stay away from her!" Alex barked, straining against his binds. But the action bore little fruit, barely jostling the chair he was tied to.

"But Alex," Frost said, a malicious smirk on his face, "you know I can't allow such an immoral infatuation to exist in this world... Perhaps if she were a vixen or tigress... then maybe..."

"What?" Alex's eyes widened as he caught on to what the wolf was implying. "No!" he shouted defiantly, his tone slowly shifting to one of panic. "I have nothing to do with her! She's seeing the gray one, they've been with each other for years. They even live together dammit!"

Frost turned back to the shouting hybrid, his smirk still showing as his eyes shined with a knowing look.

"Why must you lie to me Alexander?" The crossbreed only looked at the canine in confusion. But Frost merely reached into his suit and withdrew a piece of paper.

As it was held in front of Alex, Aeris could see his demeanor shift drastically. The hybrid's eyes widened, his mouth hanging open in a horror fueled shock. As the blood drained from his face, it even looked as though the red in his fur was discoloring, paling at what he was seeing. Then Frost let it slip from his grasp, having no more use for it. The paper slowly fell and landed between the two friends.

Aeris adjusted her head slightly to peer down at the paper, but upon seeing it, her heart stopped beating.  
>It was a photo, one of two figures standing together. It was of them, Aeris herself and Alex, those sweet moments after they were attacked by that gang of dogs. Their arms were wrapped around one another while their lips met in an impulsive kiss. Aeris could now feel the panic that Alex was feeling, as she too knew what a picture like that meant to these people.<p>

"You..." Alex began, still struggling with what he was shown. "You were spying on me?"

"For some time," the wolf answered in an uncaring tone.

A loud scream of anger erupted from the furious crossbreed, spilling out his building fury as his control of the situation was gone.

"You son of a bitch Frost! You knew where I was for so long, then why wait? Why risk me disappearing or finding you out? Why not just kill me outright?"

But Frost didn't get the chance to answer, he was stopped as a noise filled the cellar. It was a strange noise, a drowsy groan that would come from a half-conscious state. But Alex's ears twitched as he recognized what the source of it was, even Aeris knew right away who would make such a noise.

"L-Leo?" Alex gasped, trying to force his gaze around the room, limited due to his position. "Leo! Ahh! Why is _he_ here!" he then shouted, his fiery gaze set on the canine. "Let them go, _now_ Frost! They have nothing to do with this! I'm the one you want, I'm the one who caused all of this!"

"Nothing to do with this?" the wolf parroted. "Why Alexander, you seem unable to see the fact that you got them involved. Did you forget how everyone who gets close to you dies? Even that miserable wretch Jake will meet his end soon enough, after we've dealt with you of course..." Frost leaned toward Alex, the amusement in his face gone, now replaced with one of a cold hatred.

"You've caused me so much pain. But I've been patient, I knew I would one day find you and bring as much pain to you as you have brought me. However, even I knew how little of a point killing you would be, how you've become this husk that's before me now. You're nothing, barely even a living thing, shambling about the pathetic experience you call a life with barely any real emotion left. Killing you, it would be no better then shooting a corpse. I had to wait, to wait for you to slip up and allow someone to be brought into your life, someone I could use to cause you the pain I felt when I saw my son fall by your hands. Now... you're going to watch as these two cats are dealt with." Frost moved even closer, his muzzle just inches away from his ears as he whispered devilishly. "We are going to kill them, but not quickly oh no, it will be slow. So very slow. And you will see every drop of blood, you will hear every agonizing scream, and you will know that _you_ are the cause of it. Then... it will be your turn."

Alex hung his head low in dismay, now seeing what he had brought upon those who called him a friend. But he couldn't give in, he wasn't going to let Frost win.

"You've only damned yourself Frost," Alex growled, glaring up at the wolf. "You'll die today just like all the others I've put down, just like a rabid animal."

Just as the words left his mouth, Alex gasped in pain as a knife flew through the air and ran across his arm, cutting into its side. The knife landed on the floor behind him with a clatter. All eyes looked toward the source, looking into the furthest corner of the room.

"You bite your tongue," a voice called. Alex's ears twitched noticeably as he recognized the voice. Even Aeris' mind was struck with the realization that she too remembered it.

Just as they were placing who it belonged to, the mysterious figure stepped out of the shadows and approached them. To Aeris' shock, she saw the white face of Joey, the street performer she had become acquainted with. The pink cat could see him still wearing the hooded sweatshirt he always had on, its hood still over his face. But as he stood before Alex, a devious grin crossed his face as he removed it.

Just like the rest of his body, Joey's head was a pristine white. But Aeris found one detail that marred an otherwise flawless coat, his ears, one was tipped in black while the other had two stripes running around its center.

"What?" Joey said with a chuckle as Alex's own face showed surprise to the encounter. "Still shocked to see your dear cousin after so long?" Aeris became breathless, now realizing her suspicions about the white fox.

"What are you doing here?" the hybrid snarled indignantly. "And why would you join up with these zealots? You've never been one to get help." Another chuckle fell from the fox's lips as he smiled fondly.

"Ah well, I was just getting so lonesome when you disappeared. I did search for you myself though, not finding a single scrap to the whereabouts of you or your hormonally driven friend. It seemed like joining up with Frosty here would be the most perfect way to track down my dear family member. After all," Joey's hand suddenly reached out and grabbed onto Alex's neck, the other held up a knife and pressed the tip against the bottom of his jaw, "I still haven't forgiven you for _butchering_ my father." He then let go, still leaning close to the hybrid.

"I've already told you," Alex spat in defense, "he deserved his fate. The bastard sold his own brother, _your_ uncle _my_ father, out to these people. It was his doing that we were found out in the first place!" Joey merely chuckled, smiling crookedly as he continued to hold the knife dangerously close to his restrained cousin.

"And _I've_ already told _you_ that I couldn't care less about you and _you're_ problems. So what if Daddy's Judasing led to the deaths of a few... unwanted family members, the blood isn't on his hands... literally speaking anyway. Now, what _does_ bother me is when someone feels the need to go after their own kin, now _that_ is something that can really traumatize you... heh-heh-heh."

He paused for a moment, scratching his chin as he examined his cousin.

"Though... this isn't the you I like best... Come on Alex, let's see your true colors." Joey began slapping Alex across the face, earning a growl with each contact. "Lets see some of that anger, I wanna see those yellow peepers turn red! _That's_when you get fun!" The demented fox quickly withdrew his hand as Alex snapped his jaws at him, nearly sinking his fangs into it. "That's it!" He then started laughing. "It's funny really, our little game going on for so long, I honestly thought we would be at it forever. Then you up and leave the field before half-time... how unsporting of you. But look at you now, sitting here in front of me, wrapped up like a Christmas present. I think I might be a bit naughty this year and open you up early..."

The fox aimed his knife toward Alex's chest, a crazed look in his eyes that showed the unparallelled need to allow it to taste flesh and blood. Alex braced for it, readying himself to feel the cold metal cut into him.

"Not now," Frost broke in, seeing the reunion run its course. "Once the sedatives have worn off on his friends, then you will have your time for fun." Joey looked toward Aeris, his gaze focused on her for sometime before he laughed and shrugged at the wolf.

"So be it," he murmured, turning toward the door leading out of the room. As he headed for the exit, the arctic fox began juggling his knives in the air while humming a cheerful tune. "Be seeing you soon Alex, we'll catch up." Then he was gone, leaving Frost to have his last words.

"You best come to terms with your devil now," Frost said, his cold gaze locked onto the crossbreed whose head was down as he stared at the floor in dismay. "You'll be seeing him again soon enough." With that, he walked out of the room, being followed by his two men.

Now alone, several minutes passed before Alex's head shifted upward. His gaze moved about for a moment before it finally landed on Aeris.

"You can stop pretending now," he said, startling the pink cat. "You didn't do too bad for yourself. Though I was at least able to keep their attention on me, you did well at keeping your cool."

"Alex," Aeris finally breathed, looking at her friend with worry, "are you okay?"

"Y-yeah," he said, his face filled with sadness, "I'm fine... But... oh god, I'm sorry for all of this. I never would have guessed he would find me after all this time."

"It-it's okay, we just need to get out of here. You can do that right?" Before the hybrid could answer, they again heard the groans of a gray cat nearby.

"Uggghh, my head... Wha- Wh-where am I! What's going on!"

"Dammit Leo, shut up, keep your voice down," Alex hissed, still trying to turn his head toward the noise.

"Alex? A-Aeris? Why are we all tied up? What's happening?"

"It's Frost, he's found me and now he wants to kill all of us," he answered bluntly.

"Oh my god!"

"You have to keep quiet Leo," Aeris chimed in, scolding the cat the best she could. "Alex knows what he's doing... Don't you Alex?"

"Y-yeah," he answered uncertainly, his eyes shifting around the room for a means of escape. "Wait a second... that knife, it's behind me isn't it?" Aeris looked and noticed Joey's thrown knife lying on the ground just behind the hybrid.

"It's there."

"Alright then," he said, tightening his muscles and pushing his body forward. "Just need to-" he tilted slightly, "put enough force-" he pushed backward this time, making the chair creak as it tilted a little more, "in the right direction." With another moment of struggling, Alex managed to tilt his chair back and fall onto the floor with a painful thud. Continuously jolting his body around, he wiggled his fingers about in an attempt to grab for the knife that was nearby. All the while, Aeris repeatedly vocalized the whereabouts and how close he was to grabbing it.

"Ah-ha," he said triumphantly as he locked his fingers around it. "Okay... now just have... cut through these ropes..." He brought the knife up and slowly pushed it back and forth with his fingers, sawing into the ropes at a weak pace. "There!" The rope broke. Allowing him to pull his arms free and easily slice through the rest of them.

"So that fox," Aeris said, as the hybrid got out of the chair and knelt near her own, "he's your cousin?"

"Yes," Alex growled as he focused on cutting her ropes. "I had an uncle too, just as bigoted as my grandparents. It was his doing that Frost even knew about my father and his half-breed children. He wanted Frost to kill us all, his way of 'purifying' the family name. He even got a job with Frost afterward, it was how I found out about it when I was undercover. Though he was technically family, it didn't bother me in the slightest to end his miserable existence. Sadly, Joey didn't take it well, he's tried killing Jake and me ever since."

Finally breaking her free, Alex rushed over to Leo and worked on him. It didn't take long for the gray cat to be free as well.

"Okay," Alex said, turning toward the door that Frost had left from, "let's go."

Approaching the door, Alex held up a hand to stop them. Turning to his friends, he pressed a finger to his mouth, signaling them to be silent and as quiet as possible. Slowly, the crept into the room beyond the door.

It was much smaller then the one they were previously trapped in. A key difference were the large wine racks that ran across the walls. Each hole was either covered with dust, spiderwebs, bottles of wine, or all three. In the center stood the man who was previously beating on Alex, his gaze was furiously set on a television before him, its black screen filled with static as he angrily pounded his fist on top of it.

"Fucking thing," he growled, continuing his attack on the defenseless device. "Everyone else gets to stay upstairs, but nooo I have to stay down here and guard the half-breed freak. Hell, even the psychopathic fox gets a nice set-up with the boss." Alex motioned for the two cats to stay put, allowing him to move forward silently, the knife held tightly in his grasp. "Don't even see the big deal with this guy. We took him down easy as shit before. Those stories about him are all bullshit, Vincent's probably just being a bitch. Should keep quite though, don't wanna end up like Mick, but dammit! Why do I need to guard the fucker? He's tied up, what's he even going to do? It's not like he ca-" The guard couldn't finish, being cut off as Alex crept behind him and plunged the knife into his back.

"Oh, you'd be surprised at what I can do," he whispered. Twisting the knife and dragging it upward a little. The man tried to scream, but he was prevented as Alex's free hand was held over his mouth. All he could do was feel the life draining out of him, the shuddering pain coursing through his body.

Blood began seeping through Alex's fingers as the thick red liquid poured from his target's mouth. It didn't take long for his thrashing to stop and the gurgling sound of his lungs choking on blood ceased. Without a break in step, Alex released his hold and the body collapsed into a heap at his feet.

As Aeris and Leo moved toward their friend, Alex was already knelt before the body, searching through his pockets. After wiping his blood covered hand off on the man's clothing, the hybrid found the right place and pulled out the pistol he kept. Checking the gun, Alex searching through the pockets more and pulled out a metal object shaped like a cylinder.

"Silencer," Alex said as he attached it to the pistol, sensing the gazes of his friends, "it'll turn this thing into a whisper." Finishing, the hybrid motioned for them to continue, finding a stairway leading out of the cellar nearby.

Moving up, they opened the door hanging above them to find themselves entering a large kitchen.. Black and white linoleum tiles spanned out across the floor, large appliances ran around the walls and a musty scent of old food hung in the air. More dust and cobwebs littered the room, though there were some areas that looked as though they had been cleaned recently.

They remained silent, each step producing no sound as they quietly moved through the kitchen. The room beyond was even larger, a dinning room that held a regal quality to the pricy carpeting and extended table that dominated the center of the floor.

"Wait a second..." Aeris muttered, eying the familiar setting. It was as if she was looking at a place she had been before, back when it was much dirtier and forlorn. "This... this is the Edelstein manor... Leo, don't you see it?" The gray cat looked about the room himself, his eyes widening as he began to recognize it as Aeris had.

"Yeah... I hardly recognize it now." An angry huff escaped Alex as he too examined the old room.

"Seems like Frost really was at this for a while. So stupid, I should have known he was here."

"Alex," Aeris responded, "it's not your fault, you couldn't have realized this."

"Hmph well, it's no bother now. Frost wanted me here, well I'll be sure he isn't disappointed and sees me again. Come one, let's keep moving." As they headed for the next exit, Aeris and Leo looked at each other with concern, wondering if their hybrid friend was planning on escaping or just throwing himself into danger.

Holding onto the pistol with a tight grip, Alex pressed on the door lightly to nudge it open slowly. The next room seemed to have no true purpose, simple furniture scattered about with no rhyme or reason to it. But a cautious pause was taken by the three as two men stood nearby, unaware of their silent watchers.

Aeris and Alex were both able to recognize them as apart of the group that had attacked them. It made it all the easier for Alex to throw the door open, pistol in hand and poised to fire, and gun down the two lackeys of Frost.

The silencer on the pistol turned each shot into a miniscule noise of their former selves as they embedded into their targets. Both men were taken by surprise, unable to even reach for their own weapons as they were thrown to the ground, blood splattering against the nearby wall and floor.

Just like with his first victim, Alex knelt down over their bodies and searched their pockets. Nothing of interest could be found so he moved for their guns, removing each pistol and examining them thoroughly.

Tossing one aside like trash, Alex stared at the second, thinking deeply as he came to a decision.

"Here," he said, turning to Aeris and handing it to her.

The pink feline only stared at it, not accepting such a deadly weapon. She couldn't see herself ever wanting to use such a thing, let alone taking someone's life.

"Only if you need it," Alex said, seeing the hesitation in her eyes. With a solemn nod, Aeris took the gun from his hand, the weight of it feeling heavy in her grasp. After a prolonged pause, she put it away in her pants, hoping she wouldn't have to use it.

"Do I get one?" Leo asked, seeing himself without a means of defense.

"We're trying to _avoid_ getting shot Leo," the hybrid replied. Leo frowned but said nothing else, merely grumbling to himself before they exited the room.

The next room seemed just as pointless as the last, truly showing the overindulgence that privileged life brought. But the room did offer them a look outside, and to realize what was going on. A storm ravaged the land outside.

Rain pelted against the window, soaking them in their onslaught. But it was small, barely more then a sprinkle and unable to call itself a shower. However, it wasn't the rain that made the storm fierce.

One after the other, loud explosions of sound carved through the air, proceeded by bright flashes of light. The lightning itself constantly shot off, lighting up the dark sky with a momentary sun. The noise that followed drowned out nearly everything else. It was hard to believe they hadn't noticed it before. Aeris could already feel the tremors of fear coursing through her body as each booming sound vibrated into her depths.

For some reason, the tempest outside made their situation feel all the more grave.

"The storm will at least help hide our noise," Alex said, turning from the window and heading for the next door. "We need to keep moving though."

Peering through the cracked opening of the door, Alex scanned the next room, once again finding no one else inside.

"Why aren't more men down here," the hybrid muttered in a low growl. The lack of any resistance was making him uneasy, especially knowing that somewhere in the mansion lurked his crazed cousin.

They entered the room, set up with furniture a typical living room might have, though with a much regal quality in brand.

The three friends were already nearing the next door when Alex suddenly stopped in his tracks. A twitch in his ears picked up the sudden creak of a a floorboard, crying out from a large weight being pushed on top of it.

Just as they were turning around to the source, a massive arm swung out. The swing struck them all, sending them across the room.

"I knew you would find a way out," a deep voice rumbled angrily.

It took a few moments for the disorientation to wear off of the two felines. When it was gone, they could both see Vincent standing over Alex, cracking his knuckles in a chagrined expression.

"It's not as though this is the first time," Alex groaned, picking himself up. It soon occurred to him that he no longer had his pistol, losing it when he was airborne.

"Well," the bear growled, "we have our own business to take care of. Frost may want you alive, but I'm sure he'll at least be happy to know you won't be a thorn in his side any longer."

Vincent then charged, his tree trunk sized arms held open to grab the hybrid. But Alex's much smaller size made him all the more faster. Quickly retrieving his knife, he ducked and side-stepped the advance and swiped the knife across the bears' side.

A furious growl escaped him as blood already began flowing from the wound. But it didn't slow him down in the slightest as a powerful left swing struck Alex in the side and pushed him down onto the floor.

Seeing their friend in trouble, Aeris and Leo rushed the bear. Noticing their assault, Vincent turned around to face them as well, a smile of confidence on his face as he saw little threat in the cats.

He quickly regretted such thoughts as Aeris pounced, jumping up at him and slicing her claws across his face. The large bear yelled in pain as the familiar feeling of such a wound opened a silo of pent-up rage for one certain crossbreed.

Now in a blind fury, Vincent easily swatted Aeris away like an insect with his meaty arm. She flew far and crashed into the wall with a thud, disorienting her for some time. The gray cat was now in his sights as Leo ran up to him from behind, heading for between his legs to aim for the best spot he could think of. He didn't make it however as Vincent's baseball glove of a hand grabbed a hold of him.

The air was cut off from him as Leo's neck was in the grasp of the hulking bear. Another sadistic smile made its way to his face as he watched the cat struggle, his feet flailing uselessly about, his eyes beginning to bulge out from his skull. And the sounds of his last choked breaths were music to his ears.

Too focused on the dieing feline in his hands, Vincent didn't notice as Alex regained his footing and rushed forward. It only registered to him as he felt the sharp pain of a knife being stabbed into his chest. With a grunt of pain, his hold on Leo was lost, causing the gray cat to collapse onto the floor in a coughing fit.

But Alex was quickly caught off guard as Vincent retaliated with a mighty blow to the hybrid's side. Alex gasped in pain, the horrible feeling of his ribs being crushed overwhelming him. Then with one upward swing, the bear sent the crossbreed flying several feet across the room.

Vincent stood idle for several moments, breathing heavily as he calmed his nerves.

"To think how much trouble you've caused us in the past," he said with a chuckle as he wiped the blood from his cut face. "Though..." his eyes fell on the knife still lodged in his chest, "you certainly are resourceful." Plucking the knife free of its fleshy sheath, he carelessly tossed it away, the wound feeling no greater then what a toothpick might do to him. His gaze then shifted toward Aeris, still disoriented from her crash into the wall. "Let's take care of your little squeeze first."

As Aeris regained her composure, she was struck with fear as Vincent approached her, murder in his eyes. She tried moving, but she was too weak to move quickly enough. Her heart pounded against her chest as she watched Vincent pull out his revolver, its sights set directly on her. Closing her eyes tight, she prepared for the gunshot that would end it all, sending her into endless darkness.

But it never came, instead all she heard was a sudden gasp of pain. She looked to see Vincent's eyes moving down to his side. There was a large blot of red on his white shirt, expanding by the second. The stunned bear then turned, looking behind him and at what Aeris was already focused on.

Alex was still on the ground, holding himself up with one arm, while the other held a grip on his pistol. The hybrid's sights were trained on Vincent.

The bear raised his own hand, his seething gaze erupting in an inferno. But before he could even aim his revolver at the downed hybrid, Alex fired first.

Every shot hit its target, cutting into Vincent's burly chest with ease. Alex kept firing until the clicking of a spent clip was all he could hear with each pull of the trigger.

Vincent stood still for a moment, his body shaking from he strain to keep him on his feet. But as the blood seeped from the many holes in his torso, the bear's eyes rolled upward and he collapsed, a heavy thud vibrated across the room as he impacted.

"Are... are you guys okay?" Alex asked breathlessly as he used a nearby table to pull himself up.

Leo was able to catch his breath and stand, rubbing his neck as a shiver of death coursed through his body.

"Well I'm fine, I guess," the gray cat muttered. He looked to Alex and noticed him rubbing his side tenderly, wincing in pain at the contact. "What's wrong with you?"

"Ribs I guess," the hybrid replied, still feeling each bone to make sure everything was where it was supposed to be. "Nothing broken, still hurts to breathe though. I'll just have to not do that as much." Moving his gaze to Vincent's body, he approached it and grabbed the revolver still in his hand.

Holding it, Alex's eyes stared fixedly at the weapon. After a few minutes of thought, he stowed the pistol away behind him and approached Aeris.

"How about you?" he asked her, lending her a hand to help her up.

"I... I'm fine," she said, still shaken by the near death experience. Alex nodded, happy that both felines were okay. But his mood quickly shifted as he caught Aeris' own shifted into a look of horror. Her face quivered as her eyes were focused on something behind him.

As Alex turned, his sight barely registered to the enormity of Vincent's frame, even as a hand shot forward and wrapped around his neck.

A loud crash followed as the hybrid felt his feet leave the ground and he was slammed against the nearby wall. Vincent's eyes were void of any sanity or control, a wild animal now. Alex could still see blood pouring out of the bullet wounds he had left, even as the bear's iron grip tightened even further.

"Wha-what does it take to kill you!" Alex sputtered out with the last of his air. Even his hearing was beginning to fail him, only hearing a muffled yell from Leo as he charged forward to help his friend, quickly being smacked away by Vincent's free arm.

As his breathing was forcibly cut off, the hybrid could still feel the pressure on his neck going further. He knew his neck would soon snap like a twig.

But then, the pressure stopped, the grip on his hand going limp. Vincent's eyes lost focus, going blank before they finally closed. The bear's body swayed in place for a moment, but it soon came crashing forward. Alex barely had a moment to roll out of the way after being dropped onto the ground, just narrowly avoiding being crushed.

As Alex sat there, staring wide eyed at the corpse now in front of him, he noticed the bleeding hole in the back of his head. Slowly, Alex looked up to see Aeris standing there, a gun in her shaking hands and aimed in their direction.

There was a long pause, it was silent, even with the raging storm outside. The crossbreed could only stare at his friend as Aeris began trembling, her quivering, tear filled eyes unable to move away from the bear she had just killed. Even Leo remained still, stopping half-way to picking himself up to baffle at what he had just seen.

Soon though, Aeris' stance broke. The gun fell from her limp hold on it and thudded on the ground, she soon followed.

Aeris' shuddering form sat on the ground, her eyes closed tight as she could no longer take to looking at the body in front of her. Sure she was tough, sure she always thought could handle anything. But this, to break such a natural law, to take a life, there was nothing that could prepare her for the emotional strain it would bring.

"Aeris," Alex shouted, running to her side, ignoring his own pains. Falling to his knees next to her, he grabbed her by the shoulders and lightly jostled her, attempting to get through the disturbed feline. "I know it's difficult to realize you've just taken a life, I know how it feels to play executioner. But please Aeris, remember _why_ you did it. He was going to kill all of us, you me Leo, he would have ended us all and enjoy doing it." Aeris eyes opened as she felt the hybrids arms wrap around her, embracing her in a comforting hug. "You saved our lives Aeris... thank you."

"A-Alex..." she stammered, still feeling her inner being trembling.

"Aeris," Alex said, breaking his hold on her to look into her eyes, "I promise you that you won't have to do this _ever_ again."

"Okay," she whispered, resting her head on his shoulder for a moment to catch her breath. He patiently waited, continuing to hold her for as long as she needed.

After several moments passed, Aeris looked back into the hybrid's eyes and nodded her readiness to him.

"We need to get going now," the hybrid stated, picking up Aeris' pistol for himself.

A firm nod was gained from both feline's as they moved for the next door.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Okie-Dokie-Lokie everypo- (ahem) everybody... the latest chapter is up!**

**Once again, this is really a chapter I've ended up splitting in half for a number of reasons. So really, expect the next one to be soon, but not TOO soon... and stuff.**

**And let's see what we have here... (re-reads chapter) okay... gotcha... okay.**

**Yeah... doozy of a chapter. We've seen a few new characters, most of which are already dead... And we've seen a new twist on an old... 'character' I suppose you can say.**

**And man, I've gotta say, I LOVE Joey. Don't you? I do, love the cuddly little psychopath. And we are sure to see more of him, _very_ soon.**

**And Aeris ended up killing someone... how 'bout that.**

**Anyway, expect more to be on its way soon enough.**


	36. Burning Away the Past

**Chapter 36: Burning Away the Past**

Once again, Alex was becoming concerned with the lack of men that they were finding. Though he was certain there couldn't be many, he was at least sure that most of them would be closer to where they were. But as they crept through the different rooms of the manor, they found no evidence of anyone even being nearby.

They soon found themselves in a large rec room of sorts. Furniture for comfortable lounging was set up around the sides of the room. Different tables for different games were placed around the room as well. Pool, air hockey, poker, you name it. Even a few old arcade machines lined up the farthest wall, obviously for whatever children the previous occupants of the mansion had.

But as soon as the three friends entered the room, they stopped in their tracks as they found someone with them. Standing just a few feet away, leaning on the nearest pool table, was a snow white fox.

"Ah," he said with an air of faked surprise, "you're here."

"Joey," Alex growled, his eyes glaring at the fox who merely continued his game, hitting the cue ball into the solid seven, sinking it straight into the corner pocket.

"Took a little longer for you to escape then I had thought," Joey muttered, lining up his next shot and aiming for the six ball, as he shot the cue ball curved rather then going straight. It struck the eight ball and sent it straight into the side pocket. "Dang."

"So you gave me the knife on purpose?" Alex inquired, already fuming over his cousin's usual attitude.

"Well, it's not like I figured you'd need it," the fox replied putting away the pool cue. "But I didn't want you to take _too_ long, poor old Frosty might have figured out your pink girly-friend was playing him like a fiddle." His eyes then focused on Aeris, who felt a shiver go down her spine. "And my oh my, how wonderful it is to see you both again on this _fine_ day, Leo Aeris."

Alex looked at his two friends in shock, neither responded, still staring at the canine in front of them.

"Oh yes we've met before," Joey chuckled. "Too bad they didn't see fit to tell you that. But since we're on the topic, let's get full introductions out of the way." With the same grace he always showed, Joey bowed down to the three of them, a grin plastered on his face as he rose. "Joesph Kage, at your service. Though I can't really say what my services entail... Just know that I take great pleasure in everything I do."

Rather then give a response, Alex raised his pistol up, ready to put a bullet in his cousin's head to shut him up.

"Hold it," Joey warned, quickly retrieving his own pistol with amazing speed, aiming squarely at Alex. "Now you know how much I _hate_ these things, don't make me use one."

"Pointing a gun at me won't stop me from shooting you," Alex said flatly, his eyes still focused on the center of Joey's forehead.

"Ah," the fox said with a smile, "but I've got something right here that will do just that." Never moving his gun or gaze from Alex, Joey stepped across the room and stood before a line of chairs. The three friends noticed a large sheet placed over them, and it looked as though something was moving inside.

Without hesitation, Joey pulled the sheet away to reveal a bound black and white husky. A gag over her mouth while her hands were cuffed behind her back.

"Kerissa!" Leo cried out in shock, stepping forward to run to her side.

"Ah ah ah," Joey cooed, shifting his aim toward the gray cat, stopping him in his tracks, "we wouldn't want anyone doing something foolish now. That's how you end up with a _lot_ of bodies." He then grabbed Kerissa and brought her to her feet. Taking a knife out of his clothing, Joey wrapped an arm around her and pressed the knife to her throat, still keeping his gun aimed between the two cats and hybrid.

"Let her go," Leo demanded, "she has nothing to do with this."

"Oh, you'd be surprised," Joey laughed, looking back to his cousin. "So make your choice Alex, discard your gun or else this cute girly here is going to have a _nasty_ spill... of blood..." he chuckled lightly. "Get it?"

Alex just stood there, his gun still trained on his cousin as the white fox's mouth twitched into a toothy grin. The pistol in his hand shook with the anger that was coursing through his system, his face showing it in a venomous sneer. In his mind, he was already prepared to just pull the trigger and be done with it, leaving the husky's fate up to chance. But Kerissa's eyes stared him down, forcing him to see the tangible fear and panic that shown within them.

"Alex..." Leo pleaded, seeing his friend's hesitation and worrying for the fate of his girlfriend.

After a momentary standoff that seemed to last an eternity, Alex's grip on the pistol tightened as he growled in frustration. A metallic click from the pistol then sounded

With a thud, the clip of the pistol landed on the floor, followed by its host. After a quick swing of his leg, Alex kicked the gun aside, sending it across the room and away from anyone's reach.

Joey's face began to twitch noticeably, as the though he were suppressing a laughing fit.

"So the collared beast _can_be reasoned with," Joey mused, his palpable amusement still evident. His eyes shifted to Aeris, causing her to flinch back a pace in response. "By the way Aeris, I never voiced how impressed I was at your abilities to trick Frost and his men, you're quite the little actress." Though it seemed impossible, his grin began to grow, threatening to take up his entire face. "But... I think there's someone who has you beat. Isn't that right?"

Another thud of metal then sounded, the eyes of Aeris Leo and Alex all turned to the source, the handcuffs binding Kerissa lying at their feet. As they looked up to who was previously wearing them, they could see the husky's face showing a proud smirk as she removed her gag.

"Oh Joey," she giggled, "you do know how to flatter a girl."

There was almost a noise to follow the reaction of the three friends, their jaws dropping as they gaped at the dog and fox standing together.

"What... what's the meaning of this?" Alex demanded, attempting to put command in his voice to cover the shock.

"Poor Alex," Kerissa pouted, "I thought you were smarter then that. Yet you can't see the obvious, even when it's right in front of your face."

"K-Kerissa?" Leo breathed, stumbling forward as he stared at his girlfriend, unable to believe what was happening.

"Sorry Leo," the husky said flatly, "it seems your single once again. Though I can't really say there was even a relationship in the first place..." Her eyes fell on Alex as he glared at her. "You know Alex, I'm surprised you were never suspicious of me. Then again... you were always much more paranoid back home, probably why it took me so long to track you down."

"Track me?" Alex repeated, showing confusion to her statement.

"As it should seem obvious by now, I've had my eye on you for some time. I told you of my work, and Frost _is_ one of my best employers. Hell, he was offering a king's ransom just to get information on you back home. I nearly figured out where you were held up too, then you go and kill Frost's son, making him leave the city and putting me out of a job. But imagine my surprise, how after all this time I get a call to come to this Canadian trash heap and hunt you down once again. I was at it for some time too, getting your daily routines planned out for Frost. Of course, things got all the easier for me at that cafe, ensnaring Leo with a lovely scheme of deception."

"But... but I thought we were..." Leo tried saying, fumbling at his words while his body trembled, feeling his heart being clawed out of his chest.

"You thought what?" Kerissa asked, smiling. "That there was actually something there? Well of course, you were _supposed_ to think that. Goodness though, you made it too easy for me really, all I had to do was giggle like a ditz enough times and act like I gave a damn about you. Then it was off to the apartment to keep even closer tabs on Alex. And my oh my was I surprised to see the angsty crossbreed trying to get into the panties of a pissy cat. Frost nearly did back flips when I told him about that juicy little morsel of a detail, especially when I snapped that wonderful pose of you two tongue wrestling like horny teenagers."

"No..." Leo cried, unable to look at the girl he had such feelings for anymore, "this... this can't be happening..."

"Oh it's happening alright," Kerissa giggled, uncaring of the feline's own emotions. "Though I can't say the job was fully enjoyable, having to help in seducing Jake as he came into the city wasn't fun. Honestly, I was prepared to cut out the bastard's eyes myself before Frost's boys bound and gagged him. Not to mention how annoying it was playing matchmaker for you two lovebirds. Really, it's just not healthy to flip-flop your emotions like you've been doing, and Frost wouldn't let me go until he was certain a pink corpse was just what was needed to fully dismantle his crossbred adversary."

Seeing both Alex and Aeris suspended in a mix stunned silence and boiling anger made her smile even larger, even as she looked down on Leo's shaken form.

"Don't feel too bad about yourself Leo," she said with a note of compassion in her voice. "I did have fun when I wasn't stabbing you three in the back. But even still... you're cute and all, but you're just too stupid for my tastes." Unable to take it anymore, Aeris' eyes gained a fire of a nuclear explosion as she ignored the gun aimed at her by the arctic fox and stormed over toward the proud dog.

"You bitch!" she shouted, raising a fist and striking Kerissa in the jaw. She tumbled backward, both the sudden pain and the shock of it all nearly knocking her down to the ground. "I knew you were nothing but some husky tramp!" The furious feline was preparing to mangle the canine in her sights before Alex jumped forward and pulled her away, worried for her safety as Joey still had them dead to rights. Though oddly enough, the white fox merely snickered at the display of girl on girl violence.

"Ugh," Kerissa groaned, rubbing her face and feeling the blood that was dripping from her cut lip. "You fucking pink... argh, I'll make sure you pay for that!" Her own furious gaze shot toward Joey as he continued to smile amusingly. "You hold them here while I get Frost, I want to see this hussy _bleed_."

Joey's beaming face shifted, a devious smirk etching over his mouth as eyed the husky making demands of him.

"I have something else in mind," he said devilishly. Before Kerissa could even question him, Joey's hand reached out and gripped tight on the husky's shoulder. Pulling her forward, the fox brought up his knife and stabbed into her chest.

Gasps of shock left the three friends as they witnessed the display. Kerissa could only stare at the fox, eyes wide as her lips twitched, attempting to speak but unable to make a voice. As the sporadic movements of her dieing body slowed, the blood dripped down from the wound and puddled onto the floor.

"Nothing personal dear," Joey said softly, digging the knife in deeper as he brought their chests together in violent embrace, allowing him to bring his muzzle to her ear and whisper. "I've waited far too long to set up this reunion with my cousin, I can't allow Frost's own fantasies for him ruin this for me."

With one last wheezy attempt to breath, Kerissa's eyelids fluttered for a moment before finally closing, her arms falling limp at her sides. Chuckling, Joey pulled his knife free and allowed her body to collapse at his feet.

"Honestly," Joey muttered through an amused grunt, "it's always seeing that look of shock on their faces when you surprise them like that that makes it so invigorating."

Alex was the first to get over the shock of seeing Kerissa die, now his face twisted into disdain as he glared at his cousin.

"You're sick," he spat, disgusted by how his own family member could act in such a way.

Joey's ears twitched as he heard those words. His gaze moved toward his cousin as a crazed smile rippled onto his face. The fox's body began shaking, not of fear or of anger, but of laughter. As a hysterical fit of joy bottled itself into his being, his body trembled with the need to let it out. And let it out he did.

Tilting his head back, the white fox burst with laughter, his voice carrying throughout the room. Shivers crawled down the spines of Leo and Aeris as they were forced to listen to it. Their skin even began to crawl as Joey's laugh took a dark turn, slowly shifting into a mad cackle just before it dwindle down to a snicker.

"Says the pot to the kettle!" he cried out with the last of his breath. "Goodness Alex, you sure do love putting yourself on a pedestal around your peers. Face it, the only thing that separates you and me is body count. Which I regret to say... you utterly trounce me in."

"No," Alex said in defiance, "that's not true." Again, it was all Joey could do to keep from doubling over in a heap of laughter.

"Oh come now Alex, you may be able to fool your friends, but I've seen your work first hand." Aeris and Leo both felt their blood freeze as Joey's twisted gaze locked onto them. "Tell me you two, what exactly has my dearest cousin told you of his past? That he's killed those who wanted to kill him? Exactly what detail did he use, hm? I'm sure he left out all of the fun little ways he decided to exact his revenge on those who took out my dear relatives." He looked away from their uncertain faces, looking down on Alex and pointing an accusatory finger at him. "You're nothing but a monster Alex, it's written in our own blood, especially in yours if the nonsense Frost spouts is to be believed." Alex's gaze fell to the floor, unable to look at any of them as he saw the truth in what his cousin was saying. "All you can ever bring about is pain, misery and a lot of blood."

"No!" Aeris shouted, stepping forward. Even Joey's expressions changed to one of surprise at the sudden display. "Alex isn't a monster! He's done some horrible things certainly, but they were only to even worse people. But you, you're just a psychotic killer who toys with people like they were things to you!"

"Yeah," Leo added, standing next to his feline friend as he glared at the fox, "I've never been given a reason to mistrust him. All he's ever done since we've known him was help us, he's always been there and I know I can can on him for anything!"

"Aeris... Leo..." Alex murmured in suspended shock, seeing his friends standing up for him in such a way.

"Alex is _nothing_ like you Joey!" Aeris finalized, still as confident as ever. But Joey looked unswayed by their words, simply smirking at their proclamations.

"Ah, such naivety," he mused, staring fondly at the bloody knife in his hands, "I remember back when I had that. It's so easy to lose, yet impossible to regain. No matter, it's not you nor your feelings that I'm after, it's my dear cousin Alex." He pointed a challenging finger toward the hybrid, his eyes filled with determination. "So Alex, ready to end this here and now?"

"If you're so eager for it," Alex growled. With an excited nod, Joey grabbed another knife and tossed it toward Alex, who caught it and immediately brandished it toward him. His vision quickly shifted to his friends however. "Both of you, stay out of this. I know Joey, he won't hurt either of you now, I'm the one he's interested in." Though they wanted to protest against it, the tone Alex spoke in was enough to stop any defiant words from his friends.

Aeris and Leo both backed away from the two. Joey smirked as he tossed the pistol in his hand away and held up his own knife, his cold eyes focused on his crossbred target.

"No need to worry about any other inhabitants in this old manor," Joey added, giving Alex a sly look. "I've made sure we won't have any interruptions. Don't worry about Frost though, he's fine. Incentive ya know, so you'll give this your all."

Without another word, Joey rushed forward.

The two cats looked on in surprise as they saw the raw speed the fox displayed. Moving even quicker then his bulkier opponent, Joey dashed forward and was on Alex in a matter of moments, swinging his knife forward at his cousin.

Alex stepped backward and held up his own knife, catching Joey's attack as their knifes clashed and using his strength to keep it from cutting into him. His face twisted into a serious look of determination, Joey's own contrasted with a jolly expression of his own enjoyment to the situation.

"Just like old times, eh cousin?" Joey asked with a chuckle. Alex didn't answer, instead kicking a leg forward. Joey quickly disengaged and jumped back, avoiding the attack before lunging forward once again.

The hybrid saw the move coming, countering by catching Joey by the arm and delivering a fist into his gut. As he gasped suddenly, Joey took the chance to swing his knife upward and cut across the arm Alex held him with. It forced him to let go and allow the quick moving fox another chance to attack.

Alex dodged the stabbing knife this time, causing Joey to stumble forward. Taking advantage of the offset of balance, the hybrid swung his own knife upward. Joey growled in pain as he felt the tip of the weapon run across a portion of his chest.

Stopping for a moment, the fox looked down at the cut on his shirt, seeing where he was hurt. A laugh escaped him as he noticed how shallow the cut in his flesh actually was, only small trickles of blood oozing out of the cut. After running his thumb across the wound, the fox beamed at Alex as he stuck his tongue out and dragged his reddened thumb across it.

"It's been a while since I've had to know that taste," Joey said, cleaning off the appendage while Alex looked at him in disgust. "Now, let's _really_ get things started."

With a swift flick of his wrist, the knife in Joey's hand was thrown froward, narrowly striking Alex and clattering to the ground. As the attack caught him by surprise, he wasn't ready as Joey rushed him, a new knife in hand and swinging forward. It made contact, making a cut across his thigh and forcing him to stumble back.

Still as quick as ever, the fox charged forward and brought his knee up to nail Alex in the chest.

Keeling over in pain, Alex was unable to defend himself as Joey grabbed onto the back of his shirt and threw him forward. A loud crash followed as the hybrid tumbled forward and crashed into the nearby pool table.

"Good gracious," Joey gasped in disappointment, "your docility has made you so rusty! You used to be able to do so much better in the long run. Hell, even Jake put up a better fight when Frost had me go after him." Moving toward his downed cousin, Joey's face twisted into a sinister smirk. "I suppose I should end this quickly then."

As Alex began pushing himself up off of the table, Joey held up his knife and was quick to clear the gap between them. Before the hybrid could defend himself, Joey thrust the knife forward with his greatest precision.

A cry of pain shot from Alex as the knife dug into the front of his left shoulder, the cold steel being pushed into his flesh until the handle was pressed against the opening.

"Oh quit your whining," Joey scolded, looking down on his wounded cousin with dismay, "I've barely cut you."

Aeris and Leo looked on with horror as Alex lay beaten, his demented cousin standing over him with a new knife in hand, pointing out the order of the different places he would pierce next.

Ignoring their friend's demand, the two cats rushed forward to save him. Leo grabbed the nearest pool cue while Aeris stuck with her fists.

His large fox ears twitching, Joey immediately caught on to what the felines were up to.

"You wait here," Joey whispered to Alex, playfully slapping his cheek before turning around, "I've got two annoyances to deal with." He chuckled softly as he thought of something. "Think I'll make a game of it... see if I can beat them without spilling a drop of blood." Alex tried standing, to catch his cousin from behind as his back was to him, but Joey quickly kicked his foot back and slammed the hybrid back into the table.

As the two cats neared, Joey smirked as he charged toward them as well. Leo swung his stick out to bash into the fox's head, but Joey merely ducked with ease and swept his leg across the floor, knocking the cat's legs out from under him. Aeris' threw her punches with an intense ferocity, but even that wasn't good enough as the white fox back-stepped out of their way.

With his attention on Aeris however, Joey didn't notice Leo as he stood up, still holding the pool cue with an iron grip. With one swing, the gray cat connected to Joey's skull. A loud crack resonated across the room as the stick split in two, the other half flying away at amazing speed.

Joey simply stood there, his head still turned from the force of the blow. Slowly, he returned his gaze to the cats, his eyes wide with a crazed joy as he grinned devilishly at them, red trails of blood staining his white teeth.

"Not bad," he said, spitting out the blood that was beginning to fill his mouth. Then without warning, Joey struck out and knocked Leo to the ground in a single punch. Aeris threw her own, but the canine side-stepped the attack and kicked her in the chest, throwing her to the ground as well.

As she attempted to get up, Aeris was stopped when Joey fell to the ground after her, looming over her as the hand he used to prop himself up was mere inches from her head. Just from the close proximity, Aeris could easily hear his heavy breathing, smell the sweat on his overexcited body.

"I bet you've wanted to be in this position with a fox for a while now, huh?" Joey mused, snickering as though he were at a party. "At least a _half_-fox anyway." With his other hand gripping his knife, Joey dangled it above her, suspensfully dragging on his strike. But he quickly grew bored of toying with the feline and stabbed down.

"Aeris!" Leo cried, trying to force himself up as he watched the knife being brought down on his friend.

The pink cat held her eyes shut as the point of the knife was brought closer and closer to her. She awaited that painful touch of its cold blade penetrating her skin. But it never came. Opening her eyes, she could still see Joey above her, but his hand was at her side. The knife was there as well, stabbed through her jacket and through the floor.

"Now _that_must be a mood killer," Joey laughed as he retrieved another knife from his clothing. Just as he did with the other, the fox brought the knife down on her clothing, pinning it to the floor like an insect being preserved. "Like I said, no blood."

Observing his work, the fox could see the careful knife placements, keeping Aeris' arms and body restrained.

"How... many knives... does this guy have..." Leo questioned through his weak breathing, attempting to pull himself up.

"Oh, just enough," Joey answered, stepping over to the gray one and kicking him in the chest as he was on all fours. With a groan of pain, Leo was again on the floor, allowing the fox to give him the same treatment as Aeris. "There, annoying friends at bay, now it's just me and you Alex."

By now, the hybrid was able to get onto his feet, his good hand trying to reach the revolver he still had tucked away.

"Don't be so hasty," Joey pouted, giving his cousin his fullest attention as he approached him. With a kick to the back of the knee, Alex's legs buckled and he was knocked onto his stomach, screaming in agony as he landed on the knife that was still lodged in his chest.. Joey laughed at the misfortune and sat down on the hybrid's back, wrapping his arm around his neck and lifting his head up, slowly tracing the tip of his newest knife across his face and chest. "So tell me Alex, where do you want it? Across your scared neck? Or maybe into your black heart?"

"Surprise me," Alex spat, struggling against his cousin's hold on him.

"Both it is then!" Joey cried with glee. Now with his target in mind, the fox bent Alex's head up further, exposing the thin flesh of his neck. "Now dearest cousin, I'd just like to say that our time together has certainly been fu-" The crazed fox was caught off, his voice ending with the loud thud of a fist making contact with his jaw.

With Joey thrown to the ground, Alex was able to push himself up and see the one who had just helped him. The crossbreed's eyes widened with surprise as he saw Leo standing beside him, rubbing his knuckles tenderly as he winced from the bruising pain. Alex also noticed how tattered his clothing was, large pieces of fabric missing, still pinned down to the floor where he left them.

"Thanks," Alex muttered, soon grunting in pain as he pulled the knife out of his shoulder, gushing more blood on himself.

"Yeah..." Leo mumbled, hardly able to believe what he had just done himself.

"Don't forget me!" Aeris shouted, still lying on the floor with her knife restraints. Quickly losing his edge, Leo rushed over to the pink feline's side.

Both cats now safe and sound, they looked to onward to see Alex now pinning down Joey, still conscious despite Leo's blow.

"Do it!" the fox shouted, feeling the tip of the revolver pressed against his forehead. Alex's fur was bristling as his breathing intensified. Even his eyes were becoming bloodshot, matching the anger coursing through him. "Come on Alex, kill me! Spill the blood of your kin, we both know it's not your first time. Go on, kill me!"

Alex's hand began to shake as he listened to his cousin coax him forward. The sudden surge of hatred for his cousin and anger for all he had done was running through his veins like a poison.

But, his gaze shifted, away from his cousin and onto his friends. Aeris and Leo both stood there, worry in their eyes as they watched and waited for the outcome of this bloody conflict. As his gaze lingered on them, the twisted visage of his rage filled face softened, his eyes falling back on his thrashing cousin.

"Only for the right reasons..." he whispered, slowly standing up and stepping away from his cousin.

Joey rose himself, rubbing his throbbing jaw as he stared daggers at the hybrid.

"Is that... _morality_ I see?" he pondered in disgust. "After all you've done... you still think you can hold the fantasy that you're some righteous hero? That you're some kind of a-" Again the fox was cut short, made certain as Aeris stepped close to the canine and delivered a powerful kick to his head, knocking him out cold this time.

"He really does try and talk your ear off," Aeris spat, her hatred and loathing for the white fox still showing on her face. But that was soon changed to worry and concern as she could hear Alex groaning in pain, clutching at the wound in his shoulder.

"Argh, my arm," he growled, unable to even move the limb in the slightest without flooding his nerves with unspeakable pain. But as he saw the concern in the faces of his friends, he was quick to shrug it off and avoid showing it in his face. "It's alright... I'm fine." Though they still looked worried, both cats nodded their heads. Aeris' gaze soon moved back to Joey, still sprawled on the floor.

"What should we do with him?" Alex looked down on his cousin, feeling a sense of pity outweigh his anger.

"Leave him be," he replied, gaining shocked expressions from the two cats. "His hatred for me, I can't hold that against him, it'd be too hypocritical. I'll give him this chance..." With another solemn nod, Aeris soon found herself eying the still bleeding corpse of the black and white husky. It made her look to her friend, catching his gaze as he too looked at the one he thought cared for him.

"Leo," she said, sounding as sympathetic as she possibly could, "I'm so sorry."

"Yeah..." Leo sighed, "me too... But that's life I guess, you fall for a girl... girl rips your heart out... girl get's killed by a crazy fox... that's life."

They stood idle for some time, the three friends calming their nerves and catching their breaths. Soon however, Alex looked onward to where he should go next.

"We need to get out of here," Aeris said, looking for an exit herself.

"Not until I find Frost," Alex muttered, stepping toward the nearest door he could find.

"No Alex," Aeris shouted with firm determination, moving in his path and looking directly into his eyes, "forget about him. You're hurt, we need to get away from this place." The hybrid's eyes narrowed into a glare as he stared at her.

"Frost has to die," he growled, quickly becoming agitated as his path was blocked. Aeris could sense the overwhelming need in his voice, wanting to go after that wolf so badly, even if it meant his life.

"No, no you don't _have_to, you only want to take revenge on him!" she cried out, shoving him angrily in her frantic fury. "You're going to get yourself killed Alex. Please, don't do this to yourself! We can escape now and make it back home."

"And then what?" Alex shouted. "Go back to the apartment and act like this never happened? Frost knows how to find me Aeris. Even if I were to leave the city, he'd go after you to get to me. He won't rest until he sees all of us dead! I can't just let him get away tonight!"

As his anger continued to rise, he looked between both Aeris and Leo, seeing his friends there. Though their concern for him was obvious, he knew he couldn't simply walk away from this.

"You don't know what it has been like all this time! That horrible searing pain in the pit of my chest, calling out in a frenzied blood lust, wanting to see Frost pay for what he had done to me. How it's fueled me for so long as I hunted down those bastards!" He forced himself to pause, catching his breath as he felt his anger rising. "Even after... even after I wanted to end it all, to start a new life for myself here in this city. That feeling still shadowed me everywhere, never going away, making me realize just how horrible of a person I had allowed myself to turn into."

Unable to look at his friends, Alex turned away from them, feeling his body trembling as he told them everything.

"But slowly... as I grew to know you both... I felt the fire of hate in my being dwindling. I-I could never explain it, but after some time, I could actually _feel_ it disappearing. But... it was only being replaced by something else. A feeling, or a sensation that I couldn't understand or explain. It frightened me... even as it completely enveloped the burning hatred in my heart... Then on that day, that day when those dogs attacked us, I felt that feeling _flare_with such an intensity that I thought I would go mad, and even then I never could figure out what it was."

Then, he looked back to his friends, surprising them as a warm smile crept its way onto his lips.

"Not long ago though... I came to realize what that feeling meant. Before, all I ever knew was this crippling need for revenge, to take the lives of those who took everything from me. But now... I know what it's like to have something worth protecting. Both of you... my friends." Alex's eyes then narrowed into a hardened gaze of determination. "Frost _will_ die tonight, but not because of what he did to my family. But because it will mean you both are safe."

Aeris stood there, staring at him. She wanted nothing more then to just hit him, to strike away the infuriating determination that just couldn't be faulted.

"You just can't-"

"Neither of you can stop me," Alex interrupted, "this will end tonight. I won't allow my past to continue ruining my life or that of anyone else."

He then stepped toward her, wrapping an arm around the feline as an attempt to console her. Aeris wasn't sure how to react. She knew she couldn't stop him now, but she wasn't going to let him go at it alone. But, as if sensing her own resolve, Alex sighed as his saddened gaze fell on her.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to her. Before she could even understand what those words meant, Alex raised his free hand and brought a fist across the back of her head.

There was pain, but only for a moment. Aeris' eyes quickly fell shut, her body collapsing against Alex's. Leo gasped in shock at the sudden attack, looking wide-eyed at his friend as he lay Aeris on the ground.

"A-Alex... what did you..."

"I can't have her risking herself against Frost. Joey might not have aimed to kill either of you, but _he_will." Alex's eyes locked onto Leo's, forcing him to cringe with unease as the gray cat saw the seriousness burning within them. "I'm going to find Frost now, you stay here and look after her."

"No," Leo answered, shaking his head with uncertainty. "I can't just let you run off on your own. If something were to happen..."

"You're not letting me run off," Alex stated, "you're looking after your friend. Just in case Joey was wrong and more of Frost's men are around." Without waiting for a reply from the cat, Alex turned away and searched the room. Eventually, he found Joey's pistol, tossed aside like trash. Picking it up, he tossed it over to Leo who caught it with a momentary hesitation. "Use that if you need to."

Looking down at the pistol, Leo could feel the same weight Aeris felt. The sleek power, the hardened metal, the hint of fearful intimidation the weapon brought, it all coursed through him. With a firm nod, Leo wrapped his hand around the gun and knelt down beside Aeris, his ears perked up to catch any sound out of the ordinary.

With his own nod, Alex retrieved the revolver he still had and stepped out of the room, quickly finding the stairs that led to the second floor.

Alex was shaken, but not surprised as he saw the condition that the rooms of the second floor were in. There were in fact more guards, even more then he had anticipated given how many attacked him on the street.

But the problem was figuring out exactly how many bodies littered the rooms as he navigated through the puddles of blood and piles of spilled organs. The hybrid could recognize his cousin's handiwork. Some of the lackeys were cut to pieces, some were carved into like pumpkins and others held a horrified expression on their face. They never stood a chance.

Oddly enough however, as Alex traversed the mangled remains of the criminals who Frost employed, he had a moment of great clarity.

Joey had heckled him over what he was, a killer, a butcher, a monster. He did so without restrain, even back when they had encounters in the states. The disturbed fox always compared them as reflections of one another, altered only by a halfway split in species.

Now though, Alex could see the stark differences in their pursuits of goals.

Even Frost's men behaved in similar fashions when it came to their victims. Alex had no doubt in his mind that their own fates were tantamount to that of what they had planned for the hybrid and his friends.

Realizing this, Alex began to wonder just how wrong he may have been when seeing his own actions as equals to their own.

Alex's thoughts were broken however as he reached the third floor, having not seen any evidence of Frost on the second.

Stepping off of the stairs however, the hybrid's ears twitched as they caught the muffled noise of something. It almost sounded like music. The sound only grew louder and louder as Alex crept toward a closed door, flickering light flooding out from the small crack at the bottom.

The door was opened only a crack, just enough for Alex to slowly push against it. Not even a creak from it sounded and Alex was able to peer inside the room, immediately being assaulted by the different sights that the room had to offer.

From first glance, it appeared to be a study. Books of higher reading clung to shelves at one side. A small table of different alcoholic drinks sat at a nearby corner. The noise that flooded the air the same way the light did came from an old radio in the furthest corner, playing classical music that seemed aged. The light thud of raindrops of glass accompanied the music as two large windows, nearly covering the wall from floor to ceiling, showed the storm that was still going on outside. There was even a fireplace, source of the flicker light, and sitting before the fireplace was a wolf, a half-empty bottle of wine in hand as he peered into the crackling flames.

Frost hadn't noticed Alex's intrusion, lost in the tantalizing fire before him. Just to look at it, the wolf felt himself being drawn into it, the bright colors washing over.

Without a word, Alex raised the revolver up, his eyes set on his target without a flinch or falter. With a single deep breath, the hybrid pulled the trigger.

Sparks flew from the radio, the music dieing as the bullet shattering through it put a stop to the offending sound. Frost nearly fell from his seat, his head whirling around to see Alex standing in the room.

"A-Alex..." he breathed, utterly shocked to see the crossbreed before him.

"You could never higher good help," Alex muttered, answering the unspoken question that hung on the wolf's lips. Frost could see the battered form he held, having a good idea of what he had already been through. "All of your men are dead Frost. Now, it's your turn."

Frost huffed to himself, the surprise of the hybrid's visit now a faded memory. His cold eyes stayed locked on him, not a tremble or quiver of fear daring to upset his calmed demeanor.

"So then," Frost said flatly, "get on with it. Shoot me."

"No," Alex replied, shaking his head as he put the revolver away in his clothing, "I wouldn't waste the bullet on you."

"Hmph, even when weakened you'll try to act tough," the wolf muttered, noticing the injury Alex had in his arm. "I don't know if you're proud, or just stupid."

"Funny, that's just what your son said."

With a furious growl, Frost threw the wine bottle in his grasp. With a sudden step back, Alex dodged the bottle as it shattered on the nearby wall. Given a moment of surprise, the wolf got out of his chair and swung his cane at the hybrid.

Despite his age, the old wolf was still strong. The cane came down hard across Alex's muzzle, nearly breaking his nose on the impact. Quickly recovering, Alex lunged forward and buried his fist into his gut, then he followed by striking his elbow across Frost's face.

Stumbling back, Frost spat out the blood filling his mouth and swung his cane once again at the hybrid. Seeing it this time, Alex grabbed the end of the solid stick and twisted it. A loud snap sounded as the cane broke in two.

His anger growing by the second, Frost charged the crossbreed, using his end of the cane to jab into the cut in Alex's shoulder. As the fox-hybrid cried out in pain, Frost seized him by his hair and smashed his face into the mantle of the fireplace.

"Look into the flames half-breed," Frost growled, forcing Alex's gaze into the fire. "They hunger for the souls of the wicked! Your sins shall be their kindling!"

"You seem pretty good at seeing the evil of others," Alex spat, struggling against the wolf's hold on him, "but you seem to ignore you're own!" Raising a foot up, Alex kicked off of the wall and broke Frost's grip on him, using the freedom to bring his fist up and uppercut the canine in the jaw.

* * *

><p>Leo sat still, putting his full attention into his surroundings. All of his focus was being used as he guarded their spot. The grip he held on his pistol continuously shifted in tightness as he became idle.<p>

With the stillness that hung in the air, it was reasonable for the gray cat to topple over in surprise, upon hearing the waking sounds of Aeris next to him.

"A-Aeris, you're awake," he said uneasily, looking off toward the door Alex had exited from, hoping to see the hybrid standing there now.

"Wha..." Aeris murmured, rubbing her head as her thoughts pieced themselves together. "My head... ugh... Wait a second, Alex..." Her gaze became frantic as she tackled Leo. "Leo, where's Alex?"

"H-he ran off to find Frost," Leo answered, becoming worried for what was taking Alex so long.

"That idiot," the pink feline growled, her eyes catching fire with anger. "We need to get him, _now_." Without waiting for a response from Leo, she grabbed his arm and rushed forward.

Their speed was unmatched as Aeris dragged Leo through the different rooms in search for Alex. Even as they came across the bodies of Joey's victims, she remained undeterred with her search and continued onward. The determination she showed was one that meant business, nearly shouting out that nothing on this earth would stop them. She was soon proven wrong.

As if an act by a supernatural force, the thundering booms outside become even more violent. Added with the louder bangs shattering the sky, the lightning strikes became more and more frequent, coming closer and closer to the solitary building set atop the mighty hill.

Then the two cats were stopped, stumbling over themselves as the building began to shake at their feet. Every inch of the manor vibrated down to the foundation as a bolt of lightning struck the house. It tore into the roof and left a gaping hole atop it.

With the feeble rainfall of the storm, there was no stopping the smoldering wood of the newly formed skylight from catching fire. The old, dry wood was quickly devoured as the flame grew. A ravenous hunger propelled the disaster forward, threatening to destroy everything.

Both Aeris and Leo could sense it, hearing the crackling flames and detecting the faintest scent of smoke.

"We have to hurry," Aeris shouted to Leo, now having something else to force them to run even faster.

It didn't take them long to reach the study where their friend was. But as they entered the room, their eyes widened in horror at what they saw.

* * *

><p>Even with only one arm, Alex's furious anger toward the wolf he fought was all he needed.<p>

With one more powerful swing, the wolf was knocked down, sliding across the floor to the nearby wall.

Alex stood there as the wolf picked himself up, his heavy breathing sputtering out his mouth. His exhausted body threatened to drop at any moment. Even his bleeding seemed to slow, the pumping heart within his chest skipping at irregular moments.

As Frost stood before the hybrid, his bad leg wobbling from the weight put on to it, a crooked sneer of a smile cracked across his jaw. It stayed with him, even as his hand reached into his suit, gripping onto the pistol that was hidden within.

"Come on Alexander," the wolf growled, his eyes leering, "let me send you off to hell with the rest of your mongrel family."

With a furious yell, Alex charged forward at the wolf. It never even registered to him that his friends had just appeared through the doorway, witnessing this last act. Before Frost could even pull his weapon free, he was tackled by the crossbreed. Their intertwined bodies flew backward, shattering glass as they went through the windows beyond them, disappearing into the world outside.

"Alex!" both felines shouted, rushing toward the third-floor window. Their frantic eyes darted about, trying to catch a glimpse at one of two bodies that were expected to be below. But they didn't see anyone, not a crossbred or a wolf. What they did see however was a balcony, clinging to the side of the second floor, placed just below that very window.

Quickly piecing it together, the two cats ran from the study and back down to the second floor. Searching the various rooms, the soon came across one with two new occupants within.

Two large window panned doors were opened, leading out to a balcony and letting in the howling winds and dripping rain. Noticeable on the balcony itself was a stone railing, but even more clear was the section that looked broken.

Splatters of blood decorated the damaged stone, becoming diluted from the sprinkling rainwater. But there was also a trail that led to inside the room. The trail followed a straight line to its owner, a wounded wolf who clawed at the ground.

With the worst of luck, the malicious wolf had landed first, his lower half shattering through the stone with a painful impact. Now, his already damaged legs were twisted into unnatural directions, bone and raw flesh showing itself as blood quickly oozed onto the rich carpeting. His pathetic growls and whimpers of pain were only beaten by the obvious truth,that no matter how hard he tried, he wasn't going anywhere.

Alex, suffering the least of the impact, crawled across the ground with greater ease, using both legs in the process. Finding a table, the hybrid gripped onto its edge and pulled himself up. The moment his feet were trusted to hold his weight however, a horrible pain shot through his ankle and he collapsed onto the ground, growling in frustration at his own inabilities.

Leo and Aeris moved to help their friend, crossing the room as he lay there on his stomach. But Alex wasn't even aware of his friends' presence. The hybrid's senses were too far gone as he became aware of something. It was the sound of an old memory, hearing the powerful crackling of flames and smelling the distinct scent of smoke.

As it dawned on him, Alex's expression slowly shifted to an astonished smile. Then without hesitation, he began to laugh hysterically.

"Oh god! What poetic justice!" As he laughed, Aeris and Leo picked him up and supported him on his feet, wrapping his arms across their shoulders to keep him balanced.

"We need to go," Leo urged, becoming worried about staying within a burning building, even if it was a large one.

"There's one more thing I need to do first," Alex breathed, retrieving his revolver.

For a few moments, Alex simply stared at it, his eyes running up and down the surface and examining every detail about it.

Checking the cylinder, he could see four unused bullets still lying in wait.

"You know Frost," Alex said, looking down on the injured wolf with something he never thought he would show, pity, "I really was planning on letting you go. You could have stayed away, live on without fearing I might find you. Too bad you decided to end it all like this..."

"Bastard!" Frost spat, his risen voice quickly turning into horrid coughs, blood forcing its way out of his mouth.

"Do you hear it Frost?" Alex asked, ignoring the wolf. "That crackling flame? That inevitable fire? It's coming." The hybrid's gaze narrowed as he looked into Frost's eyes. "All of your men are dead, _no one_ is coming for you. Soon, the flames will reach you. Your fur will be singed away instantly, your flesh will char and melt into ash and your blood will boil until it evaporates. You used to always say how the flames of hell's judgment come for us all. Well now, they're coming for you. Can you say you'll go without punishment?" With a heavy sigh, Alex's eyes shifted back to the revolver. "Despite everything you have done. The pain you have brought to me and all the other innocents that came before... I'm going to give you a gift."

Aiming the gun at Frost, he took in the sight of fear that took over the wolf's face. After several moments of him taking in the wonderful sight, he pointed the gun away and fired it into the nearby wall.

The gunshots sounded three times, each just as loud as the other, making identical holes in the flat surface. Then, as the sound of the last gunshot ceased, Alex tossed the weapon forward.

The revolver landed two feet in front of Frost, just close enough for him to reach with his greatest effort, but far enough to prevent him from doing with it what would first cross his mind.

"There," Alex stated, "enjoy your gift. Maybe you'll learn something about yourself before you use it." With nothing else to say, he nodded his head to Leo and Aeris, both having remained silent as they watched the event go on in front of them.

The three friends turned toward the door and began leaving. Frost watched them go, his eyes darting between the gun and the crossbreed that had ruined him.

"You hellish monster!" he shouted after them. "Do you think you've saved yourself? That I'm the only one who knows of what demons your kind truly are? There are others Alexander, and they will find you. You'll be hunted down like the monster you really are!"

Stopping for a moment, Alex looked back to Frost, shaking his head as he sighed.

"I have no doubt that there are others like you, I've always thought that. But... I've come to realize two things... That such people are few in this world... And unlike you and _your_ kind, I _know_ I'm no monster."

While Frost yelled out in furious anger, Aeris, Leo and Alex left the manor as it went up in flames.

It took some time, but the three friends made it back to the damp streets of their city. Not a soul was out, the streets empty of any and all life.

Far off in the distance, the wale of a firetruck's siren rang out, becoming muted by the relentless explosions of the thundering storm. It was clear where it was going, but it was no use. By the time the trucks would reach the manor, it would be nothing but a heap of scorched wood and ash.

"Don't worry Alex," Aeris said, breathing a sigh of relief as the horrible experience was over, "we'll get you to a hospital in no time."

"No," Alex stated, shaking his head even as he was being dragged by his two friends. "No hospitals."

"Alex," the pink cat snapped, nearly shaking the hybrid silly out of her frustration, "I know you're proud and all but you are hurt badly. You need medical attention."

"I'm one for licking my wounds too," Leo added, gazing down on the hybrid with worry, "but you did get beat up pretty bad in there." A momentary shift in Alex's posture occurred as he heaved a sigh.

"Don't you two think it will look suspicions? Someone with unexplainable wounds entering the hospital, right after police find a massacre."

"Shit," Aeris muttered, realizing that he was right.

"Don't worry," Alex added, smiling, "I've been through far worse." Both Alex and Leo were surprised as Aeris then let out a loud groan.

"Dammit Alex, you always say that as if it was supposed to make us feel better." With an opposite response, Alex gave a weak chuckle.

"Frankly, I'd be more worried if it did."

* * *

><p>"Ow dammit that burns!" Alex growled, flinching as the peroxide soaked cotton was pressed against his cuts, burning his wounds like acid.<p>

Since they had gotten back to the apartment, Alex was set down on the couch to rest.

As it turned out, the hybrid was already prepared for just such an occasion, having Leo retrieve a first-aid box he kept in his room. Now Aeris helped tend to his wounds while Leo was in the kitchen working on the next task he was given.

"You're such a baby," Aeris said, taking a great delight in pressed the cotton harder against his wound, eliciting another yelp of overly dramatic pain.

"It's the beatings and stabbings I can handle," Alex grunted, nearly biting his lip off, "but this _damn_ liquid."

"It's done Alex," Leo then called, stepping into the living room. A small needled was pressed between his fingers, still dripping from the boiling water it was previously submerged in.

"Thanks," Alex nodded before taking it. Taking a moment to thread it, Alex stuck the needle into the flesh near the cut his cousin had given him in the shoulder. With a fluid motion, the needle was pushed in and out of his body as he sewed the wound closed.

"I really don't want to know where you learned that," Aeris muttered, starring at the action.

"Self-taught," Alex answered, "just one more thing you need to know when you've been through my line of work. Me and Jake have kept ourselves from falling apart because of it."

After the stitching was done, Aeris helped to bandage his smaller cuts. Soon after, Leo and Aeris were looking over themselves. Thankfully, there wasn't much in terms of wounds, other then bruised muscle and aching bodies.

With everything looked over, the three friends slowly came to terms with what had happened. At first they kept silent, discussing in their own minds. Soon however, both Aeris and Alex looked to Leo, the gray cat's eyes looking down at the floor.

"Leo..." Alex began, uncertain of what he could actually say. Aeris was quick to pick up on what the hybrid was trying to say, taking over for him as she found the words.

"Leo," she said, her voice brimming with care, "are you going to be all right? About Kerissa and everything?" Leo's eyes shifted between the two, unblinking as he took his time answering.

"I'm fine..." he muttered. "I'm just a little tired... that's all." Though there were truth to his words, it didn't stop his friends from noticing how crestfallen he had become. "It's late, I'm going to go to bed."

Giving an understanding nod, Aeris and Alex turned away from their friend as he walked toward his room. Shortly after, they heard a heavy thud on the carpet. Looking back to Leo, they found the comical sight of the gray feline collapsed on the floor in front of his door.

"It has gotten late, hasn't it," Alex said through a yawn. With the danger gone, it allowed his tired body to drag down his conscious mind into the dark depths of rest. Though so many things were running through his mind, his body told him it would be something to ponder on another day.

As his mind drifted, he rested his head on the back of the couch. The apartment then fell into darkness as his eyes shut and everything lay still. A smile stayed on his muzzle throughout that night, as for the first time since that horrific night he lost everything, his sleep was not plagued by the nightmares of his past.

Aeris smiled as she caught the signs of a deep sleep on Alex. It reminded her of her own dreariness and how her bed seemed to be so far away. It was no problem to her however as she laid her head back on the sleeping form of her couch company. Even as she drifted away into unconsciousness, she could still feel the slow rise and fall of Alex's chest and the mesmerizing rhythm of his beating heart.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ha! I told you guys this would be out soon! And damn, this is even longer then 35. Ugh, kinda glad I split them up... **

**So fuck yeah! Look at all these words! Stuff happened! Conflict! Blood! Death! The cries of thousands (more like dozens (cough)) of LeoXAeris shippers cheering all at once when our favorite gray furred cat became single again!**

**And we see more of Joey! (stadium sized crowd cheer) Isn't he just a treat? Really, he's like one of my favorite characters I've made. Just how he is, with the whole crazy knife wielding crazy person vibe he is going on about. When you really look at his personality though, he shares some traits between two other characters, Jake and Alex if you can't tell. He shares Jake's carefree attitude (minus the perverted parts obviously) added with Alex's brutality in violent situations. That, if you look closely into it, you can see the relationship that Alex and Joey have with each other, the deeeeep emotional stuff that is like so deeeeeeeeeep. (like reading the script of the Max Payne games while falling down a bottomless pit kind of deep) **

**Question. Is it technically fourth wall breaking for a character to identify literary elements? ( i.e. poetic justice) Like say a writer puts in foreshadowing in their story, then two seconds later, a character is like, "This seems to be foreshadowing something." Is that fourth wall breaking? Or is that just some term I'm not familiar with... ugh god I feel terrible for not knowing... **

_**Okay bitches! That's the story Crossings, hope ya'll enjoyed it. Don't let the door hit your ass on the way ou- (thwack!) Ouch!**_

**Don't tell them that! The story isn't over yet!**

**Well actually, it's _very_ close to being over... I know I know... You don't have to cry... Your torture is almost over... (cough)**

**Really, there's only going to be about... I don't really know... Either one or two more chapters. I'm not a hundred percent on the number just yet. No more then two though, that's a definite. **

**So yeah, hope you guys enjoyed this long ass chapter. See you guys (hopefully) soon.**


	37. Implied Scenarios

**A/N: Okay, I actually came to realize that with the extremely short downtime between chapters 35 and 36 (seriously, it's a new record for me) there would be some of you who would actually miss it. What with my usual large gaps between updates and everything. Since I know not everyone who read stories don't alert them. (don't worry I neglect doing so too) So, just in case you didn't realize, you may have missed 36 and you should click that little backy button before reading this one... that is all.**

**Chapter 37: Implied Scenarios **

Things were less than quite following the night of their capture and escape.

The Canadian news was nearly running up the walls with the coverage the Edilestein manor fire. What with the obvious signs of an attack and zero answers as to what was going on, things were becoming somewhat chaotic in the world of televised information.

There was no surprise at how big the story had become however. It wasn't everyday that police find a near massacre in a rundown mansion. Everything about it completely baffled the local law enforcement, looked at as a boon by the three friends.

Though Alex considered himself very anti-media, always finding the overblown sensationalism of journalism something of a blight on the land, he couldn't help but watch the spectacle of broadcasting with high amusement.

Then again, Aeris and Leo both noticed the uplifted mood the hybrid had gained. A smile was always on his face, his voice carried a joy that rivaled that of a child's, even his eyes shimmered with a carefree sense. All in all, he seemed happy.

Both cats found the new found sense of peace somewhat odd, especially with how badly it contrasted with his appearance.

The first day after their horrific experience, the hybrid was couch-ridden for sometime. With his damaged ankle, he could barely walk and moving his left arm was out of the question given the cut Joey gave him.

Thankfully for him, his feline friends came through with a crutch that allowed him to get around the apartment, even managing to find a sling to keep his arm in place.

Despite the physical pain he was enduring, nothing seemed to dampen the hybrid's sunny disposition.

And when it seemed like he couldn't get happier, the phone decided to ring.

"Hello?" Leo answered, curious to who was calling. But his wondering expression shifted to worry as his gaze landed on Alex. "Uh... it's for you." Not saying a word, Alex took the phone as the gray cat handed it to him.

"Yes?" Alex asked, creating a long pause as he listened to the information being fed from the other end of the call. After several moments, Leo and Aeris both eyed one another as they saw the hybrid's eyes widen.

* * *

><p>"Ha ha! That's just brilliant," Jake shouted jovially, nearly slipping out of his hospital bed.<p>

The last half hour was spent with Alex recounting the tale of their daring escape from the clutches of the evil Elijah Frost and his hellish minions. Though the story lacked the appropriate tone that would have made it a fable for the ages, the hybrid couldn't help but beam as he was still getting over seeing his good friend once again.

Jake was just like he was when Aeris and Leo first met him, his time asleep having not effected him in the slightest. Now, he sat up on his cushioned bed, eating away at his food as he listened in. The duo of felines couldn't help but stare at the 'food' he had though. Whatever was inside of the bowl looked like an unholy mixture of melted pistachio ice cream, wet paint and baby food.

All the same however, it didn't stop the wolf-hybrid from scarfing it down like he had been lost on a desolate island.

"Oh god," he said, putting down his spoon to wipe the tears from his eyes. "I might have missed out on the fun, but what a way to end it. Alex, you bad ass, ha ha- argh!" He clutched at his side in pain, ending his laugh with a weak chuckle. "God... it still hurts to laugh, heh."

"Maybe if you didn't stuff your face with that toxic waste," Alex suggested, crossing his arms as his lips curled in disgust at the pasty goop.

"Well, it's finger licking good," Jake replied, taking another spoonful and eying Alex as he slowly dragged his tongue across it.

"Good hospital food? That sounds like a first."

"No," Jake said with a shake of his head, "finger licking good, as in I'd rather devour my own hands then this dreck... But I'm hungry as hell and I need my hands... I've been told they're the second best part of my anatomy, the first being my-"

"Okay!" Alex interrupted, rolling his eyes as he muttered something unintelligible. Jake merely grinned as he emptied the rest of the bowl.

"It's good to see you're doing alright," Aeris said, doing her best to divert from the halted topic.

"Alright isn't exactly the word I'd use," Jake muttered dejectedly, letting out a groan. "Dammit, I feel perfectly fine, yet the Doc won't let me leave this hell of white."

"Well," Leo shrugged, "you did almost die." The now agitated hybrid grumbled to himself for a moment before looking back at his visitors.

"Yeah, but it's not like I'm new to that... And _GOD_ I'm getting way to stir crazy here. Don't even get me started on how pint up I've been feeling. Can you believe how long it's been since my last night of tail tugging? If how long you've said I've been out is true, then it's been over a month!" Another groan escaped the crossbreed as he fell back into his pillow, looking up into the white lights hanging above his bed. "I feel like shit. Seriously Alex, this must be what you feel like _all the time_. So frustrating, I feel like punching an orphan."

Sitting back up, Jake leaned over toward his friend and gave a sharp jab to the shoulder. Alex responded immediately, hissing in pain as he nearly fell over in a cringing mess.

"Ah damn it, still sore there!" Though the damaged muscle around his cut was healing enough he didn't need his arm in a sling anymore, the area was still tender.

"Oh, heh-heh, sorry," Jake muttered, having just remembered being shown the very stitches himself mere minutes ago. "Really though, it's hard to believe Frost is gone... even Joey... Guy might have been bat shit insane, but he at least new fair play between innocents and criminals." A grin again made its way across the wolf-hybrid's muzzle. "I'm still a little surprised about what happened to me though. Made it to the city just fine, was planning on seeing you after I sampled a local bar. Ended up finding this lovely husky there. And imagine my surprise when _she_ comes over to _me_ and totally uses some of the best innuendos I've ever heard. The next thing I know, I'm getting the shit beaten out of me by Joey and some guys in suits, all the while being forced to chug bottle after bottle of some _really_ good vodka..." He began looking at the wall in a wandering gaze, piecing together his memory. "Then... there was a loud rubbery screeching, a bang... then everything went dark... and now you guys are here..."

Alex stood there, pinching the space between his eyes. Aeris held her mouth open, as if to speak, but found no words that adequately expressed herself for the given situation. Leo simply stood still, his face written into a look of frozen horror as a certain detail hit him like a ton of bricks.

Their reactions were soon taken away as the door to Jake's room opened, his doctor stepping in.

"Ah, it's good to see your friends have heard of your awakening," the doctor said, his eyes looking down on his clipboard as he approached them. The moment his gaze fell on the three visitors however, the medical professional jumped back in shock. "My goodness, what on earth happened to you."

"Oh uh..." Alex muttered, looking down at the crutch he was holding. "Heh, well you know stairs. They look easy to use one moment, the next you're on the ground screaming in agony."

"Right..." the doctor said, adjusting his glasses, "and did the stairs do those as well." He indicated the cuts and marks on his face.

"Yes they most certainly did," the hybrid replied, his ruse becoming more and more hopeless.

The doctor then looked toward Leo, catching similar scuffs on his person. It didn't take him long to shift toward Aeris, not finding any noticeable signs of damage to herself. A frown came across his face before Jake broke through his thoughts.

"Hey Doc, when can I get out of here?"

"Soon enough," the doctor answered with a sigh, "just as I told you the last time. We need to run a few more tests to make sure you are one hundred percent and you will be released." The doctor then waited for Jake's long drawn out sigh of over-exaggeration to pass before speaking again. "Well, since you have company, I'll leave you four to your privacy." With one last look at the three visiting friends, the doctor turned and left, shaking his head while muttering something about a shift in the order of the sexes.

"Huh," Alex huffed, involuntarily licking his drying lips. "I think I'm going to go down and get something to drink really fast."

"I'll go with you," Leo said, standing next to the hybrid. "I'm a little thirsty too."

With a shrug, Alex nodded toward Jake before leaving the room, Leo right behind him.

The moments following, the small room was cast into silence. Aeris didn't say anything, but she caught the sight of Jake grinning at her.

"So," he finally said, "you popped the old murder cherry did you?" The pink cat flinched at what he was bringing up. Though she had been able to come to terms with what she had done, it still wasn't something she liked to think about.

"Yeah... I guess," she replied, holding her arms as she uneasily shifted her weight about. Another term of silence fell between them. It ended quickly however as Aeris found herself wanting to ask the crossbreed something. "What was it like for you? To kill someone I mean."

"Hm," Jake murmured, scratching his chin in thought. "Well, it was back when I first found out what happened to Kerkrin. I was furious at what those people had done to him. As we we were escaping the warehouse they had locked us up in, I ended up wounding one of our guards. As he lay there, begging for his life, I put a gun up to his head and... bang." After a pause, the hybrid simply shrugged. "Like I said, I was angry at the time. It took a while for it to finally sink in. But even still... I found myself with little remorse for what I had done. Just knowing what those people had were... it made killing them less morally draining."

"I don't think I ever want to have to do that again," Aeris muttered, rubbing her arms as the hairs began to stand on end, "even if the person was evil." Again, Jake just shrugged.

"Some people can take it, some can't. But remember why you did what you did. Vincent was ruthless, I couldn't even begin to describe the horrible things he did to people in our city. You killed him to save your lives, not to simply kill a bear."

"I guess..." Aeris said, still uncertain.

"But enough of the grim stuff," Jake said with a smile. "Tell me, how have you and Alex been doing?"

There was a short pause as Aeris was taken aback by the sudden topic. Though in reality, it was something she was asking herself for a while.

She could remember them both standing together outside, right before they were attacked. Then after everything was done and they returned home safe, it all seemed to halt. The pink cat wanted to simply wait, not wanting to throw such concepts Alex's way until she was certain everything had returned to normal with them. Now, she couldn't help but think she had lost all chances to see about her and Alex's friendship, or that it could even be something more then that.

"There's nothing," Aeris said, shaking her head. "There's nothing at all." Though she failed to sound entirely convincing.

"Alright, alright," Jake said with a nod, "I won't bring it up anymore. But Aeris, though Alex my not look it," he shot her a devious grin, "he does prefer it when people are very... _direct_ with him."

* * *

><p>"<em>Direct huh?<em>" Aeris thought to herself, standing in the apartment as it was bathed in the darkness of the night.

Jake's words played through her mind, simple enough advice that put much on the line for a quick solution.

The pink cat still didn't act on that advice right away however. Feeling that the time just wasn't right, she waited for the most opportune moment. A few days passed since their visit to the hospital, now she was sure that time had come, but she found herself hesitant to finally lay everything on the table.

With a heavy sigh, Aeris pressed her hand on the door leading to Alex's room, closed at it always was while he was asleep. The pink cat looked deep within herself, already finding the unsaid answers to the questions that were cast between herself and Alex. But realizing just what would occur the moment she passed that tiny threshold, it suddenly made her yearn to move forward. If the hybrid wanted direct, he damn well better be able to handle direct.

As her determination peaked, Aeris gripped the doorknob and opened the door. No noise escaped her as she quickly stepped into the room and shut the door. Only the soft click of the door locking sounded at her actions, her need to prevent any unwanted disturbances.

* * *

><p>The following day, Leo noticed an odd air about the apartment. He couldn't quite place the specifics, but the gray cat was certain it had something to do with his two friends.<p>

It was almost physical, the sudden shift in energy between the two. Leo could see that they looked much more uplifted then they had ever before, even Alex's previously cheerful mood seemed like nothing in comparison. Throughout the day, they talked, played games, even smiled to one another in ways he thought were saved for a certain step one would take with another.

Though the gray feline wasn't quite sure exactly what had changed, he could come up with two possibilities.

"_It seems like they just... __**resolved**__ something between themselves_," Leo pondered, allowing his own inner monologues to decipher what he was noticing. "_Using words to discuss events and answer a long standing question about something. Something regarding themselves personally I'm sure. Or perhaps... they... __**relieved**__ themselves of a growing tension. Both of them going for physical action rather then flailing words. Now that experience is changing their views on one another in ways they didn't think possible..._"

Not too much time was spent on this thoughts however as Leo quickly gave his head a good shake. Now it seemed he was having trouble understanding his own thought process.

Even though he didn't fully understand what had occurred between Aeris and Alex, he was at least glad to see them happy. Because, if his friends were happy, then he was happy. Even with what happened with Kerissa still effecting him, he found his friends were more then enough to allow him to forget about the conniving canine and her poisonous ways.

* * *

><p>So everything returned to as normal a state as it possibly could have. The three friends enjoyed every moment spent together, finding the horrific events from the past turning into memories to be put away.<p>

Sadly, there was a disturbance within the state of perpetual harmony within the apartment of gaming friends. Though he kept it to himself, there was one fact that a certain crossbreed was neglecting to share with his friends. But simply knowing the inevitability of it was enough to weigh him down all the same.

It quickly became apparent to the two felines as well, gaining suspicions that something was being held from them.

Those suspicions were soon realized as well, when Alex sat them down at the table.

"So..." Alex muttered trailing off with a stalling tone, "we've certainly been enjoying ourselves, haven't we?" Aeris and Leo both looked to one another, each giving a confused nod to their friend. They noticed he was wearing his coat as well, something he had rarely done for some time. "Well... I really do hope our time together was as wonderful for you as it was for me..." The crossbreed's ears began to drop. It was clear that something was troubling him.

"Alex," Aeris began, worry dragging onto her voice, "is something wrong?"

"Actually no," the hybrid replied with a shake of his head. "It's just... I knew it would be difficult to say... After all we've been through, I knew it would be hard to say good-bye to you both."

"What?" both felines gasped in unison. Before they could receive an answer, a knocking on the front door sounded. Without waiting for someone to answer it, the door opened and the two cats were surprised to see Jake.

Wearing a fine set of cloths that looked newly purchased, the wolf-hybrid was absent of any marks that indicated a long stay within a hospital.

"Hey guys," he said with an awkward smile, realizing what he was walking in on.

"Now... now just wait a minute," Aeris said, standing up from her seat. "Alex, just what is going on? You're leaving?"

"Yes," the hybrid answered with a solemn nod.

"You can't just leave," Leo protested, stunned at how sudden this was.

"I was planning on doing this for a few days now, I just didn't want to tell either of you. I figured it would be better to save it for last minute so we can enjoy our time together a little bit more."

"No, no no," Aeris said, shaking her head furiously as she approached the hybrid. "How can you just leave! Just like that, with hardly a farewell! What was all that back at the manor about, did it just mean nothing to you?" Alex looked deep into Aeris' eyes as he stood up, slowly shaking his head as she questioned him.

"I meant every word I said Aeris, I will never let anything do harm to either of you. But... that's also why I must go. It's too dangerous for you if I stay. Though the police haven't found anything on me, there's no guarantee that something won't come up that links me. Then... you'll be linked to me. I can't risk ruining both of your lives for my sake, so I must go."

"Where will you go?" Leo asked, standing beside Aeris as she looked heatedly at the crossbreed.

"Home," Alex answered, a small smile appearing on his muzzle. "For the first time... I actually want to return there. To see how much of an impact was made with Frost gone. And... to visit three people who I've hid from for too many years. I think I'll visit them first, visit... and pay my respects."

A light chuckle escaped the hybrid, something that seemed impossible given his previous thought.

"I could never really explain it to you. But I feel like I can finally close Frost's chapter in my life and keep it closed. I feel renewed, almost as though I've been given a second chance to live a life of my choosing." Without warning, Alex stretched his arms out and grabbed onto the two felines, holding them in a three person hug. "But don't think I'll forget what two felines helped me get this far."

"So this really is goodbye..." Aeris said, her tone dropping down as low as her drooping ears and tail.

"Of course," Alex said, concreting the fact. He held onto her shoulders, making her look up at him and see him eye to eye. "Don't worry Aeris. I will always cherish every moment we've spent together. And Leo," he turned to face the gray feline, "just try to keep your nose clean and most of your jokes to yourself. I'd hate to find out you were beaten to death by Aeris for another Mother joke."

"Heh yeah, I'll try," Leo said with a smile. "We're sure going to miss you though Alex."

"Well, it's not like it's goodbye forever. I'll be sure to visit someday." With one last hug to them both, Alex stepped toward Jake and grabbed a ragged bag that was set aside. "I've only taken a few things I know I'll need. Everything else, the rest of my stash, my possessions, you can keep. Think of it as a thank you gift for everything."

They didn't say another word as the four left the apartment and silently made their way to the lobby.

Outside, the cats were surprised to see an shiny new sports car waiting at the curb.

"Wow, where did you get that?" Leo asked, staring at the car with awe. Jake looked at the feline with a smirk.

"You really don't wana know."

Alex tossed his bag inside and waved to the cats seeing him off.

"Goodbye Alex, make sure to visit us soon," Aeris and Leo said with sincerity,

"See you two around," the hybrid said back. "And once again, thank you for everything you've done for me. Now I'll always remember, no matter how dark the world seems to get, I know I have two friends waiting for me up north."

"So long my kitten companions," Jake said with a wide grin. "When next we meet, I'll be sure to tell you two the story of when Alex lost his- oof." The crossbreed was cut off as he was pushed forward by Alex, ushering him toward the drivers side before taking shotgun for himself.

The engines then roared to life as the car started up. Reaching out of the window, Alex waved goodbye to his two feline friends for the last time before the car pulled into the street and took off.

Aeris and Leo waved to their friends themselves, standing just outside their apartment with their eyes on the car.

Soon, the car became nothing but a dot on the horizon, finally disappearing in its entirety. The felines stayed there for sometime, taking in the fact that their friend was gone.

Aeris' gaze turned toward Leo, taking in the sadness she could see around him.

Though her gray friend repeatedly spoke against his own misery toward what happened with Kerissa, she knew he was simply masking his pain. He was hurting, who could blame him? But she knew she couldn't let her friend harbor such depression.

"Come on Leo," Aeris said, grasping his hand and showing him a warm smile, "let's go home and play something." Gaining his own smile, Leo nodded before Aeris led them back into the apartment, both determined to enjoy the rest of their day.

* * *

><p>The scenery seemed to become a blur as the sports car sped by the rest of the traffic.<p>

Alex, the mixed breed of a fox and tiger, relaxed as he looked out his window. All he could really see was the distinct impression of an ending city, the streets looking less and less metropolitan as they drew closer toward the end.

Only the horizon was in their sight, the direction of south in their thoughts.

The silence between them was something to be expected as Alex examined just how much his life had changed in such a short amount of time. It all seemed to go by so quickly, yet he couldn't think of a time he ever felt happier to have lived through it.

Too lost in his own thoughts, the fox-hybrid didn't notice the set of eyes that repeatedly drifted toward him, a large grin of fangs appearing just underneath.

"So..." Jake began, purposely trailing off in a manner he knew annoyed his friend, "Aeris... did you two ever..."

Alex's fixed gaze on the scenery playing outside his window was broken as he shot a venomous glare at his friend.

"Just keep your mouth shut and your eyes on the road," he growled, returning to his previous action of aimless sightseeing, "we don't need you getting in another crash."

A burst of laughter escaped the wolf-hybrid, it watered his eyes and burned his sides. The hysterical laugh carried all the way outside the car, trailing behind them as they exited the Canadian city.

It was going to be a fun ride home.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Implied stuff is _still_ the best stuff! (evil laughter)**

**Woohoo, Crossings is finally done! This was it, the last chapter. (phew) God dammit, I swear if I ever attempt to make another novel of a story, I'm breaking my fucking arms off. Ugh, this is too horrendous.**

**So anyway... This chapter is pretty much a jumpy little mish-mash of what occurred after the last chapter. Really, when you think about it, not a lot really changed... in a canon sorta view. Sure, there are some lasting effects the story could have... but they're really just emotional things. It's not like a character died or anything... at least not a canon one...**

**And you're probably looking back to that, "what happened?", part of the story. Well... it was intentional, haha!**

**Truthfully, that specific part of nighttime merriment was a longtime idea I had. But really, for the life of me, I just couldn't figure out what exactly to have. Obviously, there are two scenarios that could have happened. We just don't know _exactly_ what happened... Though... I will say that I've put thought into how they would play out... I just couldn't put one in front of the other in terms of which one is better. And since it really isn't that big in terms of the main plot, I decided that it's up to YOU, the reader, to think about what happened for yourself.**

_**Cop-out**_

**Shut up... **

**Iono... I guess I could maybe make like a bonus chapter or something someday, showing how I thought that little tid-bit would play out in both ways... but iono...**

**Okay yeah so... that was in fact Crossings. You've just read it. Now... you must _judge it_! **

**I'm kidding of course. But it would be wonderful now, seeing as it _is_ the last chapter and all, for you to tell what you've liked. Make a review, your final review, showing what you liked what you didn't why you thought such things etc. Especially if you've never written a review for this before, you guys know who you are (points).**

**Regardless of whether or not you feel the need to voice your opinion, I do hope you all have enjoyed the story. And big thanks to everyone who has already reviewed this long ass story as it was slowly (and I do mean slowly) put out there for the internet's cruel claw of fanfictionness. **

**Really... it surprises the hell out of me how far this has actually come. Starting off as a little piece of shit story I thought up of after reading, SweedenSpeedway's The New Guy, then ironed out over a while of thought processing. Hell, you wouldn't believe the backstory I've pieced together for Alex and Jake as I've thought up their characters Oh boy, it's _intense_. I'm almost tempted to doing their full story someday, obviously not on this site since it wouldn't be a fanfic... but still.**

**Anyway... back to fanfics... As I mentioned in a previous note. I have plenty of story ideas I plan on getting done at some point. Also, I've said how my next story will be sent off to a different site for a different fandom. (ducks from brick)**

**Okay... okay... don't get violent now po- (cough) people... It's nothing personal, it's just that this particular site will help to get more people (see? I said people, not po-ack) to look about and enjoy my next bit of stories for that fandom. Don't worry though. Eventually, I'll end up adding the information on it in my profile when I get around to figuring that shit out. You'll just need to hold your hoo- (hack) HANDS... hold your _hands_ together and wait patiently. That is to say if you'll even enjoy that particular fandom... And if you don't... well you'll have to hunker down and accept it dollar by... NO it's _bit_ by _bit_... (ugh)**

_**Subtlety, thy name is Icecane.**_

**You shut your God damn whore mouth!**

… **Okay... Okay... I'm alright, (calm breathing) won't let him get to me...**

**But yeah, at risk of making this final note even more disgustingly long. I just want to add that although this story is over... I actually have another VG cats fanfic up in my noggin and I'll someday be posting it here for all of you who have enjoyed Crossings. **

**Farewell for now my faithful readers. (throws smoke bomb, fades away) Oooo I'm magic now... **


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